...2000. Today I passed 2000 miles for the year and it is still early November. Yay!
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| Won't it be strange when we're all fully grown |
I didn't have a mileage target for this year, it just sort of happened. I ran 1900-ish last year so I suspected there may be more miles this year with the various events I had planned and have now completed in 2012. Although I've been known to run around a car park or up the road and back to make run a nice round figure, I genuinely don't obsess about mileage totals - I love to get out for a daily run. It has become that much of a normal part of daily life it does however seem like a massive gap when not there. One rest day a week does me just fine thank you very much.
I've been thinking this afternoon what is "normal" and yep, 150 mile months for me are now 'ticking over' when I would once consider 100 miles a month a lot. How does someone manage high(er) mileage and why? What are the drivers? I suppose people have lots of different reasons for running. I wondered, and have tried to think of a few based on myself and other runners I have met.
Fitness/medical reasons
Weight loss
Endorphins - thrill!
Social aspects
Insanity
Something else..?
Yes I run to keep fit. I'd rather be healthy, and on the planet for as long as possible to see and experience as many things as I can. I would also say that running keeps me sane, I'm not prone to depression or anything like that, but I think I'd feel a lot less calm in the midst of life's stresses if I didn't run. This is a good part of the reason I run.
Weight loss. Hmmm. Running helped me shed a lot of weight, but most people underestimate the amount of calories they put in, and overestimate the amount of calories they burn on a run, so it has been known for folks to come out of marathon training far chunkier than when they started. I suppose running cancels out a little but of my baking obsession, weight control is a smaller part of the reason I run. More miles = bigger cake allowance.
Endorphins and thrills. There something about slogging your way to somewhere, looking out at the view and thinking "wow, this was DEFINITELY worth it" or getting somewhere thinking "I wonder if anyone has actually been here for years". There is something about battling the elements, it is a very satisfying feeling getting in from the wind and rain to a steaming bath, a hot chocolatey drink and some toast. There is something about realising you are about to run a distance or a time that you never thought possible, and I mean that in a relative way - we all remember when we could barely get to 3 miles, and the feeling at 2.8 miles when you knew you were going to do it. More recently I've been at XC races, bombing it down a hill thinking "I feel absolutely f**king great, things don't get much better" - this lasts for about as long as the downhill and is replaced by the opposite feeling going back up the hill, but it is really nice when that happens and whilst it lasts. It is also a good feeling when you start overtaking the people who you are usually around in XC races, I'm not sure I have a real killer instinct but I think it is a measure of self improvement, and knowing I've improved a bit makes me feel good. I like to see what I can do, which leads to pushing and pushing that little bit further. We live in a great country and most of the public never see the beautiful countryside we have. So these feelings are quite a big part of the reason I run.
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| Nice. |
Social aspects. I started my running with a club and I still run with that club, but I joined SRC to help me get faster, for different training routes and different running opportunities. In reality it means I know and have run with quite a lot of different people, some of whom I'd probably never have talked to otherwise, it's always nice at most races round the midlands I always see someone I know and I've made what I believe will be lifelong friends through running. If you play football or something, it is very unlikely that your pub team would play against Real Madrid, however running is different. Sure you can start and be in the same race field as Haile or Paula, which is great, but actually there are ordinary people out there, friends and club mates who do things that inspire you, and you get to run with them week in week out. The social aspect is definitely a reason I run, I like having a laugh and a chat and putting the world to rights. Friends have got me out when I've felt less enthusiastic about things.
Insanity. Some people are obsessive or addicted, they may or may not realise this. "Running X miles means I will be thin". Nope. "Running X miles or X Marathons means I am better than everyone else". Nope. "I am nothing if I don't run at least 10 marathons a year - everyone else I know is". Nope. "People will respect me if I am fast or run stupidly long distances" Nope. "I want to impress X and he/she will like me if I run more or pretend to like running". Nope. I have met people who fit in to some or all of the above categories and I have a lot more respect for the slower runner that trains sensibly and consistently, gets quicker and runs longer if that is what they want, and who reaches their potential and enjoys the journey than the one that starves themselves, runs squillions of races and has a miserable time for the same perceived results. I may have something gone wrong in my head that means I can doggedly carry on endurance wise when other people would give up, but I am not enough of a mental to be motivated by other peoples opinions of me (although I have been known to use it in tough patches of a race e.g. "think of the people you would let down if you walked now/DNF" type of thing until the bad patch subsides. In reality I'd be letting down ME). Insanity and insecurities do not motivate me to run.
At the end of the day though, on top of some of these things there is just a pure love of it that keeps me wanting to put my trainers on.
Last week we had an XC race at Park Hall near the fragrant City of Stoke. After the last one I felt like I was getting my XC legs back a bit. Got picked up by the Chloe-mobile, all going well until we got stuck on the M6 due to an accident. As we approached the venue and in to the car park we started stripping down to our racing kit, warm up was a 4 minute brisk jog from the car park, lugging bags (and a tea loaf) which gave us a few minutes before the gun went off. Park Hall is quite an undulating course, the conditions underfoot are usually quite firm, but you have to be careful of loose rocks. I actually felt like I was having a good run in the first mile, and this gave me a boost in confidence to push on the 2nd and 3rd. In the end I came in 40 seconds quicker than last time I ran there, doesn't sound like a lot but over a 3.4 mile course that is quite a good improvement I'm told. There were even photos where I actually looked like I was running. Happy days.
Today due to a lack of XC I did a ParkRun, I wanted to do some speed work but I also wanted to give my XC shoes some extra time to dry out before next week. Myself, J and D had arranged to go to Walsall ParkRun on Saturday, having partied the night away at the SRC / Cricket club bonfire "do" on the Friday night (3 diet cokes, a jacket potato, some colored fizzling, some scary explosions dodging bits of rocket landing on our heads and in bed by 10). I forgot to set my alarm, and my body clock woke my up 2 mins before J texted me to say she would be with me in 20 mins. Eeeek! I was running around, getting dressed, no time for breakfast, necked a big glass of diet coke, she turned up and off we went. The weather was foul, it was freezing, breezy and drizzle and thank god we started on time. Not much to more say really, I started off at a decent pace, and managed to hold it all the way round, very consistent splits and 25 seconds quicker than Cambridge ParkRun a couple of weeks ago, so the speed confidence is coming back. I may try the dis-organised roll out of bed approach more often.It was a great celebration of my 2000 miles to have J and D there, and we went for a nice brekkie afterwards. Nom!
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| One runner, 2000 miles on the clock this year... |
Man goes for the jump: Yaaaaaaaay!
Man hesitates: Oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhh!
Man falls over, gets wet or loses shoe: Hahahahahahahaha!
Man goes round and avoids the ditch completely: Boooooooooo!
(Where are we in the league?) We're behind you!
Who needs pantomime when you have the Leamington XC :)
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