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RE: It's getting better
He has a way of just nudging me back on track.
A horrible 10-mile race last weekend forced me to have an honest look at my running of late. For all my excuses (and boy I had a few), the race was horrible because I was horribly unprepared. I simply had not been racking up quality miles. The trouble is when this sort of thing happens my head metaphorically drops and I lose my running mojo.
So, the offer of a coffee and a sandwich with the Goat on Wednesday was very timely. To be fair, he didn’t offer the sandwich… I kinda asked for it. Hinted in the strongest terms. It was a very good sandwich tho’. It was just a general natter, as we hadn’t seen each other for a while. Usual stuff: sex, drugs, rock and roll…
However, in the course of nattering, I mentioned my running woes… and as has happened in the past on occasion, he didn’t say much… but just gently nudged me back into the right place.
Since then I have had three good runs… all quality affairs… running to my agenda rather than the agenda of others (which is essence was his advice). This morning I joined the herd at 7:30am for one of their training runs. Half the group was heading out for a 16-mile run and the other who are tapering for a race next week did a 9 miller. I decided on the 9 miler so as not to overdo it, and for once, stuck to the plan… even though at the turnaround point I was tempted to stay with the longer group.
Turning at 4.5 miles meant coming back with the fast guys… so the second half was 2 minutes a mile quicker than the first. It did push me… but I felt overall the quality of the run was much better than if I’d simply plodded out 16 miles.
I am trying, really trying, to be sensible and stick to Glaconman’s rule of 10% increases. Make the runs meaningful, rather than kidding one’s self with the old junk miles.
It’s just that being sensible doesn’t come easily to me.
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