Well, for one half of 2009, I was a runner. That feels pretty good. I'm the kind of person who starts and finishes hobbies pretty quickly. I chose running because I wanted it to last. I am still very focused and excited about it.
I must admit to being a little down about my last couple of races. During my second 10K, I added about 90 seconds to my time. As I told my step mom, that was not the trend line I was going for. Today I ran my second 8K, and I ran pretty much the same time--only 14 seconds faster. I really wanted to shave off a few minutes.
But I didn't start running to get good times in races. And for many people, these would be very good times, indeed. As I often think in my head, the races are really benchmarking exercises. It's a great time to get out and run a professionally-measured course with a precise timing and record keeping. The races are also interesting events where you can people watch, look at shoes, and generally see what other runners are up to: this includes the elite runners who finish with a pace of 5-something per mile, to the folks who are running much slower than I am. The funny thing about races: there are people who look to be in better shape than me who finish far behind me; likewise, there are people who look to be in worse shape than me who finish far ahead of me. Go figure.
Which brings me to the whole point of this running thing: staying healthy. I think I am on the right road here. Have I radically transformed my health? No. But my health was not in need of radical transformation. It was in need of a corrected course--the trajectory was not looking good.
Over the past several months, I have made running a regular part of my life. That, I think, is the major breakthrough. For about 10 years, I really didn't have a physical activity I enjoyed. Through part of my 20s I enjoyed cycling; I rode long distances on my bike and really enjoyed it. As I got busier with work, and then with family and kids, I found that really didn't fit anymore. It took too long. When it was just me, I could go out on my bike for 3 hours in the middle of the afternoon. I played hockey for about a year; that doesn't fit either. Ice time is hard to get and who wants to run the risk of getting hurt all the time?
The more I thought about it, the more running seemed to make sense. I watched Marti jump off the sailboat in the middle of the Chesapeake and knock off a 6 mile run. For me, that is the definition of "no excuses." I talked with Carlos at work, who lost all kinds of weight while running. I explored it with Bill, who is exactly 20 years older than me--he's made running a big part of his life, and he's really healthy. If I am in the kind of shape he is in at 60, I'll be very happy.
No, between 1999 and 2009, I had slowly gained about 20 pounds. That was easy because I didn't do any kind of physical activity. 2 pounds a year is kind of normal for a guy my age... but I don't like where that graph is going. I also didn't like the thought of getting more and more out of shape. Male clothing hides being out of shape pretty well, and the clothes are second only to your own mind in hiding the pounds. Because the weight came on slowly, I didn't really notice it.
So I've lost 10-12 honest pounds running. That is good. I feel more fit and that is a really good thing. I look forward to running and I think it helps me in my life. I enjoy getting up early in the morning to go for a run. I like working toward a goal.
And there's the goal part. You see, I am still a little disappointed. I think early in this running thing, I would be thrilled to know that I had gotten this far. But part of me revised my goals upward (a good thing, I know) and made them harder to reach. In August of 2009, I wrote the following:
My running goal is simple: I want running to be my primary fitness program, and I want to be able to sustain it injury-free into my 60s. I am not in a hurry to get anywhere in particular; I want to develop myself as a runner in a slow and steady fashion. By April of 2010, I would like to be a moderately serious 10-K runner logging 25-30 miles per week. I hope to run 4x per week and have a pace of approximately 8:30/M.I am ahead of schedule for this. If all goes according to plan, I will have completed a half marathon by April of 2010. To do that, I think being "a moderately serious 10K runner logging 25-30 miles per week" will describe me accurately. It almost describes me now. In fact, if I can manage to do a 10K just a couple of minutes faster by April, all of this will be true.
And I've made significant progress on the "injury free" front. I was getting hurt at the beginning, and I took that very seriously. I studied and practiced and took a lesson with a professional. I ran an 8K race today, and I feel like I could do another one tomorrow. I have no pain at all. After that same distance back in August, I limped for a week. Big difference.
I need to make sure I don't get discouraged by not meeting my lofty goals. I addressed these lofty goals here. Check out these "dream times" I fantasized about:
- 5K: 23:30 or 7:30/M [-2:30]
- 10K: 49:30 or 7:55/M [-5:02]
- 8K: 40:10 or 8:05/M [-4:15]
- 10M: 1:21:40 or 8:10/M [?]
- 13.1M: 1:50:20 or 8:25/M [?]
- 26.2M: 3:50:17 or 8:47/M [?]
Or, they are not going to happen at all. And, so what? The point is to stay running, stay healthy, keep from being injured, and to enjoy the whole thing. Right?
Looking Forward
The big focus now is the National Half Marathon. That is going to be cool. I have to re-evaluate this Galloway run/walk/run strategy. I used it today and didn't do much better. My best times have come in races where I ran the entire way (with some brief, unplanned walk breaks). I think I can do the half in under 2 hours, which is my goal. But the super serious runners I talked to when I bought my shoes have never run a half in under 2. Who am I to bust out of the gate with that kind of goal?
I don't know. But I've got 78 days to try.
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