1000km since March, this was my achievement of the week! I am pretty proud of myself – never did I think at the start of March I would have ran that kind of mileage this year. Now for some seasoned marathoners and ultra marathoners out there, this is probably pocket change to them but this is the first year I’ve taken running semi seriously so it seems pretty big for me! I should also point out that I am by no means an expert – heck I still don’t call myself a runner – but I have learned a few lessons along my way so thought I would share my experiences with you all.
- Training plans are great for some – but are not the be all and end all. Something that I think has really worked for me this year is keeping to a training plan for races that I’ve wanted to race/try and pb. I did this for the Edinburgh Half Marathon (where I got my pb), the Great North Run (where I got a course pb and could have gone faster but y’know crowds) and I am currently 2/3rds of my way through my Dopey Training with the aim to finish. I love having a bit of structure and aims for the week, but I’ve also learned that missing a training run every so often isn’t the end of the world, nor is changing runs around during the week to fit my schedule (I should point out that I have never missed a long run, more skipped some shorter/medium runs due to being run down). Also ticking of my runs acts like a countdown for an event and gets me even more excited!
- Listen to your body. Sounds cliche I know, but things happen during runs and risking further injury/illness is not worth it in the long run. This works both ways however and sometimes I felt pretty crappy heading out for a run, but after the first 20 mins, when my muscles have loosened up, I’ve felt great and gone out to complete the longer distances (even sometimes with a smile on my face). I also suffer from pretty bad IBS, one of the reasons I stopped running when I was younger, and this does affect my training however I have found that regular running/exercise does help ease my symptoms, a welcome side effect!
- You can’t outrun a bad diet, but post run pizza is heaven! Now I confess my diet is nothing to boast about, however I do try and keep to the 80/20 rule (‘good’/’bad’ food) as I think allowing treats prevents me from going crazy! If I don’t watch my diet and have a week of eating crap I do feel more lethargic and that my running suffers. There is plenty of advice on the internet surrounding nutrition and nutrition for runners however you need to be wary that what might nutrition-wise for a stranger on the internet isn’t necessarily going to work for you – plenty of people swear on a pre-run coffee, I tried this twice and both times spent the whole run resisting the urge to vom! (Side note, I will be writing a future post of what I eat pre/post run but again what works for me might not necessarily work for others!)
- Technology is great, but so is technology free running. For training purposes knowing how far and how fast you run is great – it allows you to track your progress, predict race times and, for those wanting to loose weight, allows an estimated prediction of calories burnt. For longer runs having my phone not only gives me a sense of security but also my music for entertainment. I’m not particularly technology mad or savvy but I cant imagine living without my phone, its just too handy. However every so often I like to leave all my gadgets at home and just run – doesn’t matter how far or fast, just run. I find it very therapeutic just listening to myself plod along and the occasional bird.
- I have a pretty decent support group. And by decent I mean great. My poor mother and father get weekly/daily updates on my training and listen to all my running ailments whether they want to or not! I’ve dragged my poor boyfriend out running as well as my younger sister when I’ve been home. They come to my races when they can and stand for hours waiting for me at the finish line. My mum, sister and boyfriend are all joining me in Jan and they’ve all had to put up with an excited me for the past few months (and its only gonna get worse, sorry guys!) They’re all amazing and deserve a slap on the back, thanks guys 🙂
So heres to another happy and healthy 1000km! Happy running peeps!
Plodding Along 