Mo' Running

Yes, it has been some time since I posted, and I'm not going to make excuses. I'm just gonna jump right in to it. Can I keep it up? Maybe, maybe not, we'll see.

Mo' running, mo' running, mo' running. I'm up to about 20 miles per week. It's an astonishing milestone for me and one of which I'm incredibly proud. It feels good. Feels right. Feels like I could tack on a few more miles on a 4th day, especially if I'm mindful about massaging my achy calves after the Friday hill run with the running club. 

Speaking of the running club, I owe all my miles to them. I don't have words for how grateful I am for their support and encouragement. Many of the women are training for a half-marathon in April, in Italy. Groovy! I'm going to a half-marathon a few weeks later, closer to home, and decided to train alongside because, hey, it's a PLAN. I like a plan. Plus, I'm six months overdue for a half-marathon because of the move across the pond and not getting to run in the Rock 'n Roll Virginia Beach Half. 

I'm anxious that once I'm working again I won't be able to allocate as much time to running as I have been for the past two months. I'd like to say "I'll deal with that when the time comes" but those who know me know that I just can't let it go at that. I have to have a PLAN! At least the outline of a plan, at any rate. 

Yesterday morning on the aforementioned Friday hill run, the lovely woman I was running alongside wondered aloud how it was that some people ran so much faster. Mentally, I dug deep into the all the reading I'd done but I couldn't come up with a ready answer. Mostly because we're all built differently, we all have different levels of cardio fitness. One thing I remember reading from Matt Fitzgerald's writing is that, among other things, distance can improve a runner's speed over time. I'm certainly proof of that! I ran my first 10k, last May 2014, at a 14:00 min pace. With no effort at increasing my speed but just increasing my distance over the last year, I ran a recent 10k this month at a 12:00 min pace. However, I was reminded this morning during some bathroom reading that aerobic fitness is another key component, and I think the two are intrinsically linked. As I am running I'm building aerobic strength. Yay! 

from "The Little Red Book of Running" by Scott Adams

So, this is one answer from one author to that question. I can accept that. I think this is the same guy who wrote that some runs aren't perfect. Accept it and move on to the next run.

Cheers, y'all!