I'm often asked where I get my energy from, how I stay so enthusiastic , where my motivation come from... and I struggle to find an answer... much the same way as I DO sometimes struggle to get out of the door to go for a run!
I thought it may be insightful for me to share a few of the lower points in my training, as well as the highs... A quick glance at my last post will show you the miles I put in last week - not a particularly high mileage week for me, but enough mileage to push me a little as I was returning from a break away from running. But whilst that tells you the miles, it doesn't tell you the moans and the smiles - here's a run-down of the 7 days Monday to Sunday. Monday was never going to be easy - first day back after almost a month of very little running. My legs were a little sluggish and my pace wasn't great, but it felt good to be back in the 'training groove'. A smile! Tuesday's run felt the effects of the lay-off somewhat more than Monday's as I had a little bit of aching in the muscles - they were in shock! I ran with 'heavy feet' - whilst I can't normally hear my footfall on the pavement, today they were slapping down! It wasn't exactly a bad run, but it wasn't the most satisfying either. Wednesday's run had the benefit of being done partly with a friend. I love running with friends - somehow the miles seem to slip by, and because we are almost invariably chatting, the pace tends to be a little slower to facilitate breathing! Whilst my legs were a bit achey, it was a definite smile today! Thursday's run was, weirdly, rather fun. Why? Who knows?! It was basically a repeat of Tuesday's run but on legs which should have been more tired, so why did it feel better? I don't have an answer to this one - but it was a smile! Friday... oh dear, what can I say about Friday?! I had between 4 and 6 miles on my schedule. My legs were achey (yes, I probably pushed a bit hard on Thursday due to enjoying the run...) and I just felt... well... bleurgh! Having eventually coaxed myself out of the door, I hoped I would get into it, but didn't. I just really wasn't feeling the love for it. I slogged out the 2 miles minimum I allow myself on days such as this, and quit! Whilst my schedule is organised to provide a number of runs where I do have to slog it out on tired legs, in order to develop the necessary endurance for my sport, today's wasn't one of those runs, so I listened to my body and took a bit of a breather. Definitely a 'moan' day today! Saturday was actually a scheduled rest day but my 6 year old daughter Ellie wanted to try out her new running kit, so we did a family jog around the block - a total of 1.9 miles, which we were all delighted with! A smile!! Sunday was long run day. Long runs are the backbone of endurance running, and during the winter in particular, they can be pretty challenging. I've done 18-22 milers out in windy, icy, rainy, and haily conditions (sometimes all in the same day!) and questioned my own sanity for 3-4 hours at a time. Today was different though. Miraculously, the sun made a rare appearance and I had the company of one of my favourite long distance running buddies. A definite smile! Coming in to this week, Monday was a rest day. Tuesday then had me shoe-horn a 6 mile treadmill run into the middle of a busy work day. I hate treadmill running. I am abysmal at it. My pace on the treadmill is riduculously slow - about 90 seconds to 2 mins per mile slower than I can manage on the road for the same effort level. I'm clearly not build with a treadmill runner's gait. I slogged it out on the 'mill for the necessary hour but didn't enjoy it in the least. Today (Wednesday) however, my schedule dealt me a 7 mile road run. The walk up to school to drop Ellie off showed me that conditions were less than favourable - there was black ice everywhere and it was pretty darn chilly... great!! After delaying the start of my run to allow the ice to clear (no point risking injury unless I have to!) I pithered around in the house for far too long trying to find the motivation to get out of the door! Eventually, I gave myself a kick up the rear, donned my cold weather gear, and got out there. The minute I started to run, I knew it was going to be a good run, and I was able to keep a good pace all the way round my selected route. I was a little surprised, but sometimes it just goes like that - that's why even on the days when I don't feel like running, I try to get out for at least two miles, as it sometimes just feels so much better once you're out there! So you see, I do have good days and bad days. I think the art is in dealing with the bad days in an appropriate manner and putting them into perspective. One bad run does not make you a bad runner, and quite often will be the pre-curser to a really good run. See them as strength-training for the willpower, see them as character-building - they are all part of life's great tapestry!
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