Running Thoughts

And so I ran in Bantock Park. It is 1.2 miles around. I did two laps, without my watch. I just ran. A few times my efforts exerted black bile from my mouth and chest. I ran regardless. I did not warm up. My legs, while alright now, will perhaps begin to fall apart.

I remember distinct things from my youth. Running mud from Bantock into my spikes. Destroying the school records. A distinct lack of recognition from my running efforts. I was, by the standards of power of 10, in the top 200 athletes in the UK for my 400m times when I was younger. If I was similar in football, the recognition would be palpable. However, I am not, and there is no recognition. But since then was I a man that thrived on such social lark? This blog, written for me eyes mostly, tracks a few things...

a) My desire to run faster than 18:05 for the 5k. Currently I run 18:50.
b) My desire to run faster than 40:00 for the 10k. Currently I run 41:30.
c) My desire to simply run faster than I have for a half-marathon. That is, faster than a 106. I want to dip below 100 minutes.
d) My desire to run a marathon. I am due to do so this year.
e) My desire to run a 400m again. I have run 56.4 in my time. I want to better this. Or at least realise the efforts I made in the first place.

Christmas

I have run once this Christmas holidays. I am tired, and resting, and somewhat relaxed. I could run now. I could run later. But there is always a later.

More running...

Despite the snow, I have managed to run in the snow. It was three miles. Quite fast. Initially I felt rough, lacking in both energy and vision and hydration. However, I managed to be strong in what I thought was a run that exhausted me. Despite all this, I managed to eat pasta and all the rest.

I am, though, definitely ill. And I certainly want to be rested and well.

Slowly building back...

I write this on a Sunday having run once in the snow, and having completed an interval of 60, 65, 70, 75 (leading to 100). My heart rate again hit 190+, and only just hit below 150 or so after two minutes.

My legs are stronger. Stronger than they were this time last year. While November has seen me slow down, the slowness has meant that my legs have not taken a pounding. They are, however, ready to take on 2-3 workouts a week for the next three weeks. And then from January to March/April, regular workouts will make a difference. I might even run a 10k on the seafront, aiming to dip beneath 41:30. I think that some 5ks might be in the pipeline, too. In fact, if I lived nearer a parkrun, I would do so more often. Far more often.

There is, of course, something in the resting that I have done. And in the aggression I have expressed. Although I have not got into a routine with packing my gym kit (and in that I think my lodging arrangements make such things difficult), I should head to the gym tomorrow. I really should.

The ice...

Stops people from running. It even stops me from heading to the gym. But I have, in the space of three weeks, fallen from very good habits. I need to hit the gym.

My throat has hurt. I wonder if I should even just go to the gym just to go to the gym. I have chosen otherwise, but equally I have chosen to sleep early today.

The ice claimed the stability of my car, too. But it should not stop me from the things that I want to do. And, without health, there is little I can do.

Let talk numbers for a few moments. I was able to hit 70 - 85 resistance intervals, going up to the full 100 with a heart rate that dropped to 160. Last week I was 190-200 bpm on simply 60. My cardio has gone; it can return. But next week I need to hit the gym Tuesday, as I have wanted.

What might have happened with more intensity? A breakdown, I think. Instead, more strength is needed for the final part of this year.