A New Year's Resolution (Day 21)

Run - 9km, 58 minutes

This was my scheduled run at a lower heart rate and it went quite well, seeing as there was a hill in the middle.

Not a particularly long run as I am building up distance slowly, or rather I am building up time slowly (the only metrics I am paying attention to at the moment are time and heart rate). But I am happy with that as keeping going is my main objective. I have always thought that consistency is all but somehow always struggled to maintain it. This time I want to do better.

Writing this I realise I have a New Year’s resolution: whatever else you do just keep going. We will now see how that works out. I usually don't go in for New Year's resolutions. All I do at the beginning of the year is  look forward and list things I would like to see happen and start to make some plans. I never try to start life improvement changes on 1st of January as in winter your whole body craves shelter and comfort and rebels at the idea of being put through any form of boot camp Spring is a much better time for that sort of nonsense.

But this year I have started trying to be consistent in January

Janathon 2013 Day 27 - Doing something else

Weights - 40m

Every habit and faculty is formed and strengthened by the corresponding act - walking makes you walk better, running makes you a better runner. If you want to be literate, read, if you want to be a painter, paint. Go a month without reading, occupied with something else, and you’ll see what the result is. And if you’re laid up a mere ten days, when you get up and try to walk any distance you’ll find your legs barely able to support you. So if you like doing something do it regularly; if you don’t like doing something, make a habit of doing something different. (Epictetus, Discourses, Book II, 18)

If you want to do something do it, and do it regularly, if you don’t, do something else. How many years have I spent not recognising this simple, basic truth. How much time have I wasted, faffing around, not acting on that simple, clear instruction. Many a time I have failed both ends. Things I have wanted to do have not been done because I thought other things ought to take precedence, whilst for things I don’t want to do, the situation has been far, far worse.  I have procrastinated, done them in little bits, agonised and delayed, and not them properly but at the same time this has blocked me from doing anything else. This is the worst of all possible worlds as the important part of Epictetus’ advice is to do something else.

Janathon should in theory give you no way out - you have to carry on and do something. Well you have to if you don’t want to backslide, which is what I did yesterday. My excuse was that we had people round for lunch and all the morning was spent preparing and cooking and in the evening, when everyone had gone, there was the sad realisation that I had drunk far too much and was in no fit state. So the day passed. Am I sad? Unfortunately, for all of you who believe we should rigorously stick to our resolutions, I would have to say no. I made a positive choice to do something else and I have to be happy with that.

Janathon 2013 Day 7 - Could do better

Walk - 3 miles, Time - 50m, Weather - damp cold, and grey

Last night my plan was to go for a run before breakfast but sometimes good intentions are only that: intentions. I woke up feeling headachy, low, not quite the ticket,  and far from the picture of an athlete at the peak of his prowess (disclaimer I have never looked like that). I really didn’t want to do anything much in the way of exercise but I had a get out. I am a firm believer in rest days and taking things easy on at least two days a week. So going for a walk was just fine.  I would like to report that as soon as I got out and felt the air on my cheeks my spirits lifted and a spring returned to my step - but that would not be quite true. It wasn’t bad but neither was it good. it was merely mechanical.

However I carried on with my reading of the Stoics and today’s quote emphasises something common to any activity, any skill that needs mastering, and certainly to Janathon: the need for consistency. It is as true of running as it is the study of philosophy.

Yet this conviction, clear as it is needs to be strengthened and given deeper roots through daily reflection; making noble resolutions is not as important as keeping the resolutions you have made already. You have to persevere and fortify your pertinacity until the will to good becomes a disposition to good...although I have great hopes for you, I do not yet feel quite confident about you. And I should like you to adopt the same attitude: you’ve no grounds for forming a ready, hasty belief in yourself. Carry out a searching analysis and close scrutiny of yourself in all sorts of different lights. (Seneca, Letters XVI)

No grounds for complacency there and it is something we should all heed as well as Lucius. I have said many times: running is about honesty. The time you take and how far you can go shows you exactly your level. There are no excuses and your level is exactly as high as it deserves to be. In other words you must always look at what you achieve with a clear eye.

For myself, today, I need to look closely at my change of plan and be honest with myself whether it was acceptable or whether it was backsliding. I will only really know tomorrow.

Janathon 2013 Day 2 - Little and Often

Cycling - 11 miles, Time - 50m, Weather - mizzle

I thought it was just going to be grey and overcast today and so a rare chance to go for a ride without getting soaked. But what do I know? After I had been out for a short while dampness descended like a blanket and the cold, steady, drizzly rain never let up. It didn’t stop me enjoying the ride but I did shorten the route. I had planned about 15 miles but cut a corner so as to come home not quite drenched.

In the end though I thought the distance perfect: long enough to work both muscles and lungs but short enough to leave me feeling fresh at the end. I must remember this as a lesson: there is no great virtue in going further than you need. Obviously if you are training for a marathon your need is to prepare  for that distance and you need to go long but otherwise little and often, including a bursts or two at higher intensity, is a good way to build fitness. 

This brings me to my Stoic quote of the day, from Zeno of Citium, who founded the school:

Well being is attained by little and little, and nevertheless is no little thing itself.

Perfect. I told you Stoicism was a neat fit with running.

2011 Streak Day 295 (Tuesday October 25th): Going backward to go forward

2011 Streak Day 295 (Tuesday October 25^th): Run 2.75 miles, Time 26.08 Weather mild but the sky is a mixture of different types of cloud

The sky behind the tree is not blue- it is slate grey however it is lit up by bright sunlight. It is a day that does not know its own mind. Is it a pleasant, sunny day where you can relax and feel happy about how mild the weather is this late in the year, or is it overcast and threatening serious rain. In the end it did a bit of both (though the rain was not serious).

It went out when the sky was light grey. Good running weather but that did not make any difference, I am still running through treacle. I don’t know what to make of this. Should I be worried or should I just carry on in the belief that persistence will bring its reward and I will get fitter. One of my underlying principles, and one I have constantly repeated on this blog, is that consistency is everything and you have to keep on keeping on. But, and this is quite a big but, another underlying principle is that you should listen to your body and at the moment my body is telling me something is not right.

I will think on this but my feeling is that I will have to swallow some pride. I will have to admit to myself that things are not as I would like them and for the moment I am only able to run very, very slowly. If I want to maintain consistency I will have to use my heart rate as a guide and ensure most of my miles are easy.

2011 Streak Day 135: Another run in the park

2011 Streak Day 135: Run - 3.66 miles, Time 34min 47sec, Weather - a little chilly

Because the weather was grey, overcast and a little chilly there were not many people in the park, so it was a quiet run. There was not much that caught my eye as I passed and I had nothing on my mind that required thought. I ran and that was enough.

Another run and already two weeks have been completed without harm.I am beginning to think that I am on the path to recovery.

My plan is simply to run 3 times a week, gradually increasing the distance. I am not planning any long runs or speed (?) sessions or any targeted training; for a couple of months as the only aim is to re-establish a running constancy. I do not want to force anything or worry about how quickly or slowly I am going; instead I want to concentrate on running easily. My only mantra is: "keep upright; relax the shoulders" because I have a belief that good form comes from the way the shoulders are carried. Everything else can take care of itself.

I must admit I am enjoying the idea of going right back to the beginning, stripping away pretensions and having the sense of a fresh start. 

Todays picture is a detail from the Old Town Hall, which is now an arts venue. It is a covered yard, which was once a market.The reason I too the photo is to show a practice, much more common in the Nineteenth Century, of dating a building and naming the people responsible. It not only shows pride in what has been achieved,  it helps succeeding generations to read the building more easily.

It has nothing to do with my run except that I pass it on the way to the park.

Just Looking

Although the last post was partly about appreciating the gracefulness of some runners, I like to look at all runners. When I am out walking, on a bus, in a car, whatever, if I see someone running I always pay attention to the way they move and I am just fascinated by the huge variations in style. I don't know if you an make any valid judgements on a persons character by the way they move but you can see indicators like tension, determination, enjoyment, and relaxation.

When I used to work near the river I always went out for a walk (rather than a run) at lunch time. I often passed a man with a rather large belly, dressed in an immaculate white cotton t-shirt and baggy khaki shorts, who ran slowly and deliberately along the foot path. Although he was heavy and slow he wasn't plodding, there were a sort of ease in his motion. It was if he had made a decision to loose weight by regularly running and was carrying out a plan in a calm, methodical and relaxed manner. Every day he was there doing the same route, there and back.

Over time I could see how it worked and how he gradually got faster and changed his shape. But his attitude never changed: the calm look was always there, his running was easy, and his t-shirt always looked freshly pressed.

I know nothing more about that man than those small glimpses over a period of time but he is an example to me. He shows what can be done by sticking plan and not forcing anything. All you have to do is get out most days: be regular and be patient.

Only the trend Matters

Consistency, consistency, consistency.

I keep on repeating this mantra to myself, hoping it holds the key to making progress. But no matter how often I say it there is always something that gets in the way. Forever I am setting out a programme and then after a short time breaking the pattern. Always it feels like starting again even if the transgressions are so slight they do not affect my level of fitness. They show a lack of resolve and on the whole that pisses me off.

The latest example is the routine of two days on, one day off, which I was really pleased with and thought sustainable. However I have been away for the long weekend, and somehow did not manage to find the time to run. I could have done, I know I could have done, but somehow I just did not feel like forcing it.

So that is three days off – not a big deal but it is the principle of the thing. I feel like a dieter staring at an empty packet of biscuits wondering how they all got eaten.

Regret is however useless. All I can do is put it aside, lace up the trainers, get out, and see how long the routine lasts this time. If the overall trend is upwards then that is all that matters.

Finding Time

Although I know that consistency is the biggest virtue for a runner, I have always struggled with mid-week runs and have never been able to work out the ideal time.

Early morning is useless as I already get up early enough just to get to work.
I gave up running at lunch time because I did not like the changing and the drying, the bolting of food and water, and limitations in the type of runs that could be done.
The most time-efficient method is to run as part of a commute, but I do not like running with a rucksack as I feel unbalanced and find myself always adjusting the strapping.

The only answer is to run in the evening, which although quite good, requires iron discipline - something for which I am not renowned. When I get back home I feel a bit hungry and a bit drained. The tiredness is mostly mental but the temptation to merely rest and eat is huge. Every time I get out of the door part of me is saying it would just be so much more pleasant to do nothing. That siren voice is still singing as I walk the pre-run walk and through the first few steps of the easy jog. Then something strange seems to happen as the body starts to loosen up - I begin to feel easier in myself. When I have found a rhythm everything feels calmer and I can not only feel happy that I am out, I can feel slightly smug that I have shown resolve.

"One run at a time" I say to myself as if I was some recovering alcoholic. Instead of it being a day at a time, the unit is a week. Each sunday I decide on a quota of runs for the next seven days and during the week I shuffle them according to circumstances. That is all - it is not complicated. Having a few things that can be rearranged or reordered seems to make all the difference.

It is easier in the summer time of course. Wet, dark, cold evenings make overcoming the inertia almost impossible and winter consistency is something I have never mastered. But I should not worry about that now. The whole idea is only to think of one run at a time.