579 Miles so far! (as of Monday) #run2012miles
Well, Monday saw me break through my 100 day streak barrier in a run against the elements as well as a test of my mental fortitude. It got me to thinking about my aim to become a runner and how that was progressing.
Running has been something I've enjoyed on and off for around 10 years. In fact it was the 2002 London marathon that I began training for first after being challenged to enter by a friend at work (Bodkin it's all your fault!) Unfortunately I had a freak injury involving a blackthorn that required my shoe to be cut off my foot (under gas and air!) only a few weeks prior to the race; I deferred to 2003 but was hooked on long distance running!
After that I seemed to get into the cycle of 3-4 runs a week through December to April, Spring Marathon and then nothing through the Summer/Autumn. I finished my MA and professional exams in 2005 work started to take over more any more and then 2011 turned into a horrible year that left me in a depressed state, over weight and no longer even walking much. When however I found out I had been successful in securing a role as a 2012 Gamesmaker I decided that things needed to change, this Olympic year would be different. When to that was added the news that I would become a father too, well, it certainly looks now as if 2012 is likely to become of the best years of my life.
So, running was to become my route to a positive and healthy future.
My motivation for building the streak was multifaceted and has changed a little along the way. Like many things I embark upon on it didn't have a whole lot of reasoning behind it, but sort of emerged out of the mire of ideas around running 2012 miles* in 2012. I realised that every day that I didn't run the requisite 5.5miles would mean another day of increased mileage. Logically it seemed the best way to stay on top of this would be to run every day.
So the streak sort of emerged out of the challenge. But I also realised it would help serve another purpose. What better way could there be to becoming a runner than to get out and run every day?
*BING* I could do that! I would finally break through the jogging barrier and start to feel more comfortable wearing a club vest.
Not to say that my first hundred days of daily running have been challenging would be misleading, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought it might, and it could have been a lot worse.
Yes there have been some days where I have not been very well and shuffled around a mile or so in some form of deranged fugue, but these days have taught me when to listen and modify my efforts to my capabilities.
The days that I've gotten out early and then felt extra chuffed with myself for doing what I know many others haven't, such as running in the snow, the rain and the freezing dark mornings have been special, but so have those unexpected long ones where I've just pushed myself a little further away from home and taken in some new parts of Bristol that I hadn't seen before.
The funny thing I've noticed is that it is on the days when I don't plan but throw in an extra loop, or decide on a little fartlek to up my HR a bit that I seem much happier. It would seem as though my body is just like the rest of me; it doesn't like being told it has to do something.
I've learnt that slow and long seems to be the way forward. It is only recently as I've started to push myself a little harder with more effort sessions and hills, pushing my HR and pace up that I've started to worry about injury. Taking it steady and looking for consistency before growth have kept me on track.
But I also wouldn't have been able to do this without the people I've surrounded myself with, both in the real world and online through forums and blogs. I used to think that distance running was a solitary sport; an assumption far from the reality out there!
Not only am I fortunate to have an understanding family and very supportive wife, who doubles as emergency rescue for the odd long one that gets called off mid-run, but I've got to know a great deal of new people around the world at all sorts of different levels who have been both a wealth of knowledge and a huge support on the days when it isn't going so well. There's some fantastically inspirational people out there and if you run, you always have something in common to talk about!
Then there's the @UpandRunningBS6 crowd. Having just recently started to cut my teeth on efforts I'm hugely thankful for the challenging and enjoyable sessions on Tuesday and Thursdays with a great crowd. The friendly chat takes the edge off the hard work and I certainly push myself harder than I would on my own.
Which reminds me...maybe I should try and get back along to Westbury Harriers at some point over the summer....would that help clarify for forward motion nomenclature?
So am I a runner yet?
Well, I'll let you decide that, but how many of you went out for a two hour 'jog' in Monday's weather?
*this started as 2012km, but soon grew to the greater challenge!
