I've been running for a long time, more than 1/2 my life, if you count the soccer I used to play, then near 90%. Something incredible about it all is that as you reach you physical peak, you learn that PR's are less frequent, and when they come, they are by much smaller margins(and thus, a greater reward). But one thing that increases, is your knowledge of training method's and your own body's reactions to them. Hopefully, if you're smart, you'll pay attention to nutrition/diet and rest/recovery to get the most out of yourself.
And for the sake of tossing about metaphors; Running isn't fast food, you can't just order some crap off the dollar menu and get er' done. It's a meal! You have to be a farmer for it. You need it to nourish and sustain you, not poison and kill you.
You have to sow the soil and plant the seeds; tend to it and grow it, reap it, then prepare it, and finally you can sit down to eat and enjoy it. You work to live, and so you live and work to keep living. Running is the same way, it needs constant attention, you need to plant the seeds yourself, and you need to get out in the fields and do the work. I think I like this idea better than the idea of "building the foundation" or "base" as so many runner's refer to the early stages in training cycles. There will be times for the fields to lay fallow when you take a break after a series of hard races. As cyclical as life is, so is running.
Running needs to be kept in balance. Or else, things break down, failure is just around the corner. Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking the pessimist's perspective here. I'm saying, you have to respect what your current ability is, and what your needs are. Equally, success is just around the corner. Another thing I've learned in all this trotting about, is that you can never count yourself out, if you do, then you may as well not get out of bed tomorrow morning.
Perhaps it's a blessing to be not the fastest or #1 from the early days of your competitive running. I mean, if you just win, win and win some more, nothing feels like a challenge or worth striving for. I like knowing that my training counts because there is always a next step towards something, I like it either way, but it's a bonus for it to have a high ceiling.
So, I keep this all in perspective, I try not to let this all wander too far from my conscious state.
I'm preparing the soil and looking forward to the planting time, and carrying through the whole process in 2013. To achieve some long sought after goals, it's going to take prioritizing, sacrifice, and a new volume of pain that I've never known.
I'm on the wrong side of 30, and I have yet to run a mile under 4:30. There are a lot of times I've never hit, and meets I've never been fast enough to enter. Can I now? Go ahead, just tell me I can't, see if that stops me from trying! You probably just don't want to be reminded of how you packed it in and let your dream die on the vine. I'll be on the roads, track, and trails; tending to mine.
And for the sake of tossing about metaphors; Running isn't fast food, you can't just order some crap off the dollar menu and get er' done. It's a meal! You have to be a farmer for it. You need it to nourish and sustain you, not poison and kill you.
You have to sow the soil and plant the seeds; tend to it and grow it, reap it, then prepare it, and finally you can sit down to eat and enjoy it. You work to live, and so you live and work to keep living. Running is the same way, it needs constant attention, you need to plant the seeds yourself, and you need to get out in the fields and do the work. I think I like this idea better than the idea of "building the foundation" or "base" as so many runner's refer to the early stages in training cycles. There will be times for the fields to lay fallow when you take a break after a series of hard races. As cyclical as life is, so is running.
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| This is my mental image of my 1 mile PR growing |
Running needs to be kept in balance. Or else, things break down, failure is just around the corner. Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking the pessimist's perspective here. I'm saying, you have to respect what your current ability is, and what your needs are. Equally, success is just around the corner. Another thing I've learned in all this trotting about, is that you can never count yourself out, if you do, then you may as well not get out of bed tomorrow morning.
Perhaps it's a blessing to be not the fastest or #1 from the early days of your competitive running. I mean, if you just win, win and win some more, nothing feels like a challenge or worth striving for. I like knowing that my training counts because there is always a next step towards something, I like it either way, but it's a bonus for it to have a high ceiling.
So, I keep this all in perspective, I try not to let this all wander too far from my conscious state.
I'm preparing the soil and looking forward to the planting time, and carrying through the whole process in 2013. To achieve some long sought after goals, it's going to take prioritizing, sacrifice, and a new volume of pain that I've never known.
I'm on the wrong side of 30, and I have yet to run a mile under 4:30. There are a lot of times I've never hit, and meets I've never been fast enough to enter. Can I now? Go ahead, just tell me I can't, see if that stops me from trying! You probably just don't want to be reminded of how you packed it in and let your dream die on the vine. I'll be on the roads, track, and trails; tending to mine.
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