Things are limping back to normal after Thanksgiving holidays. I didn't get the chance to write a new post over the holidays, but I have been running. Days are colder, surprisingly I still see a couple of runners and a few cyclists, particularly on Sundays. The cyclists display more friendliness than ever - as much friendliness as a couple of seconds would allow two people who are working their lungs out when passing each other. Last three Sunday runs have been at the new distance of 16.5 -ish miles. On the one hand I have been able to follow my feeling of exertion rather than heart rate well enough to complete the distance and focus more on relaxing on the run. I suspect that my cadence (steps per minute) has improved. In the last few runs I have consistently averaged 176-180 steps per minute, with the max going up to 215 steps per minute. I can only attribute this improvement to the fast hill run intervals I have been doing on Wednesdays. On the other hand, though, it has not been as easy as a relaxed pace would seem to suggest. Aches and pains are at a new level and at different locations. There is more than the usual amount of soreness and pains sometimes on upper thigh area, at other times the glutes on one side and often right in front at the upper end of the thigh. Due to these I am turning to the foam roller and massage stick more often. Even then, there is always a doubt if my body would be ready before the next run. I do feel that the ankle has been holding up pretty well, and feeling better, too, presumably because of the new exercises on the wobble board. I am also taking extra care to tread carefully on rough patches or avoid them altogether when possible.
It is interesting how the mind plays games. In an earlier post I had mentioned that if I start thinking whether or not to run soon after I wake up in the morning the tendency usually is to decide to not run that day. However, if I do not think about running but ease myself into the flow by having a cup of tea, reading the emails, news and so on, I end up lacing up the shoes and getting out much more easily. The long runs these days are posing a similar scenario. I do recall comments from long distance runners and coaches that it is 80% mental and 20% physical. I think I am getting a taste of that. Last Sunday, just five miles into the run I started thinking 'Have I fully recovered from the pain around my right hips? Perhaps I should go home and give the hips some rest." However, I persuaded myself to continue as the distance at that point was shorter than my regular run and the pain, or whatever discomfort I felt at the time, wasn't that bad. A few more miles and again similar thoughts started coming back - "Perhaps I haven't recovered fully... it feels unusually tiring today... The experts and all the books I read say if I don't feel comfortable, I should take it easy. If I take a break today I can run better next time.. Moreover, I do have work to do at home... so why not use this opportunity to take some rest and get some stuff done.." Then I would remind myself that after this lap if I do one more I will be half way through.. then one more lap and only the last one remains.. Dangling these new thoughts in front I continued to run for some more time... Then in the second lap again the same old thoughts return - "I think I shouldn't over strain the right leg (or was that the left ankle? Whatever... I forget:-) ... I should probably go home and give it some extra rest... and while at it do that other work I need to do".. The mind comes up with very legitimate reasons for a way out.. Anyway, I thought to myself if this is how the body and mind feel on long runs then the heck with it. I better start getting used to it. I bit my excuses and ran all the remaining laps without any further thoughts.
One of the days I look back occasionally during my runs and remember is the first day I ran up the last hill on the way back home. Boy, that was a good day. Working up that hill my lungs would be bursting and heart pounding.. body would be screaming STOP STOP STOP, and mind would be tired working against the forces. I would then stop about 200 feet from the top to walk up that distance. Once on the top there is no more climbing for a while, so I would resume running. On that day working my way up the hill breathing hard and my heart beating so hard I could almost hear it, instead of stopping I thought why not turn this around on its head. Does this hill want to push hard on my lungs and heart and my body? ME TOO!!.. I too want to push my heart and lungs.. Let's see how far this will go... Granted, I wasn't racing uphill that day.. I was running in short steps. But I was running. As my lungs expanded and contracted like a balloon and the heart pumped and pounded.. the body felt like an engine on high gear.. That day I wasn't trying to be easy on myself. That day I was partnering with the hill, or even challenging the hill, to push myself as far as it was willing or able to push me! I was still running when I reached the top, and I ran all the way home nonstop. That day was a turning point. I never stopped at that climb, again.
That was a good day.
If I can run, u can run
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