I’ve been thinking a lot about running recently and my place in the running world in particular. I thought I would try to collate my thoughts into a kind of logical form partially for my own benefit and partially in the hope that I can make at least one person feel better about where they are in their running world.
I have been running on and off for about 12 years. More off than on until the last three years when I started setting the right goals for me. I kept getting frustrated about how hard it was, and how slow I was. It’s so hard to believe you’re not a ‘proper’ runner when you’ve been practicing for so long and the elusive 30 minute target for 5 km seems so far away. Even the fantastic couch to 5 K program stops at 30 minutes. Still now on a slow day I’m not much more than 2/3 of the way round by 30 minutes. But, I’m happy with that. I know now that I can run 5 km pretty much without fail, and sometimes I even choose to add in some extra hills (I mean Norfolk hills, obviously. My hilly run today had a giddy 59 m of ascent, even after running up one hill twice.) And, I can see my PB creeping in the right direction.
What I been doing differently? Well, for a start acknowledging that my body has to work harder than an average body to move 5 km. I have weighed about 16 1/2 stone for a lot of the time I have been running and I still have to lose a stone before I am only overweight rather than obese. You only have to carry your shopping home from the supermarket to realise how much harder it is carrying 10 kg extra. Acknowledging this hasn’t made running any easier, but it has made it easier for me to not judge myself on other peoples goals, but to create my own achievable goals.
One of my new goals was to set a target number of runs to complete in a year. The year before I set this goal, I recorded every run I did in a year, so I basically just rounded it up a bit. My first goal was 100 runs in a year. This works out at about 2 runs a week, so it’s still achievable without worrying if I have a break every now and then. The only rule was that so long as I got my kit on, left the house and started running, it counted as a run. I found that this really took the pressure off and running became a habit, and something I really made an effort to fit in. This may have been a turning point…
My next goal was to cover 5 km on every run. I planned a few different 5 km routes, which I did each time I went out, even if I walked some of it, I still covered 5 km. Walking is better than sitting on the sofa! This time also gave me space to contemplate life, both on a big and a small scale. The last few years has been quite stressful, and have ended up with me making a big career change, which is still not quite as settled as I would like. Understanding that stuff going on in your head can have a big impact on your running is another important step. Sometimes feeling angry and frustrated can help you run and sometimes it can make running feel like it’s something else you can’t do or seem to have no control over. I have learnt that it’s ok to feel how you feel. No feelings or emotions are inherently bad. You feel like that for a reason. When I’m feeling bleugh, I feel drawn to the woods. It’s easy to practice mindfulness when you’re in nature. There’s always birdsong to hear or signs of changing seasons to see. Being in an environment that seems to be in equilibrium while constantly and inevitably changing really brings my focus back in to a bigger picture. Sometimes while I’m busy thinking about the leaves turning colour or how a tiny wren can make so much noise, I suddenly get a flash of deeper understanding about whatever had been bothering me.
It wasn’t until I was regularly running 5 km on every run that I set my final goal. One run every week is now dedicated to speed. I currently do 3×400 m as fast as I can. I run around the drainage pond at the front of my estate. Past the bus stop, much to the amusement of anyone waiting for the bus, and past the runner ducks if I’m lucky. Now my running was ready for this, it has made a real improvement. My average pace at my last parkrun was quicker than my pace for my third effort the first time I did this session.
So, my top tips. Set your own goals, listen to your body, be kind to yourself and remember if you put on your running kit and go for a run, you are a runner and you belong.
Where is Ann? 
Great blog.
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