The thing about goals is they have to be far enough out that you might actually not get to them. They have to challenge you and push you and you have to think deep down unless you throw yourself into it you might not get them. What is the point of setting something you know you can reach?
Since the ironman I have basically been a mardy bugger. I was alright for a couple of weeks, whilst it was still fresh in my mind but then, quite suddenly, it all went wrong. I was grumpy at home, grumpy at work, just generally miserable. I tried setting some goals about running fast but they didn’t really inspire me to get out. Ive done a little hill running with friends, a little slow running here and there. Still felt miserable.
I started training with #projectpilla a little and that helped quite a bit, and suddenly one Sunday three weeks ago I just prepped my running bag and work stuff and spent a week running a little like I did during IM training.
It wasn’t fun.
In my head I’m an endurance monster, I can take the running, throw it at me. Well after 5 weeks off, the reality was somewhat different. The 30 minute run to work nearly killed me. Fast forward two weeks of running and I was still grumpy, it was still not exactly flowing. I stood outside work having had a bit of a crappy day, doing the Garmin lock on wrist dance, when I remembered having an interval session by Chrissie Wellington on my phone. What the hell, let’s try this.
Boom.
I loved it. For the first time in MONTHS it felt awesome to run. I went fast, it hurt. By the time the 22minute session was over it was like a frigging massive cloud had been lifted. Not just lifted, but gone. Almost like it was never there. I don’t really know what it was, but I knew when I finished something had changed. When I started that run I was miserable, by the time I finished I was on cloud 9. From darkness to light in the space of 22 minutes. Running huh? Not bad.
I went to bed actually excited to get up and go running, and when I got out and it was pouring with rain? So what, I loved it.
On Saturday I did the parkrun at Heaton park. It was the first go I’ve had at going quick in one of these since last May when my best was 21:21. I was genuinely very very excited to try again. I ran my little legs off, the course is pretty undulating, it breaks up your rhythm, there is an especially long up hill at 4km that is not fun when you are trying to go quickly. I didn’t look at my watch the whole way round, I don’t know why and I wish I had because as I finished my time was… 20:10….
10 seconds.
I’ve hardly done any work on going fast, and I’m 10 seconds away from my first goal for the year. Rewind through the ramblings above and my first point is that your goals have to stretch you, so is it time to revise down my 5km time?
Yeah absolutely. Sub 19, I’m coming for you!
Oh and for what it’s worth, I’ve long said I’ve never felt like a runner. Well sod that. I bloody love running.