Smelling the roses on the run

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Bo

I’ve always had such a complex about my running pace. (I mean, just look at the name of my blog!). So as I stood at the starting line of Sunday’s race, I was terrified. A running friend asked if I’d like to run a race with her and I jumped at the opportunity. No one had ever asked me to run with them before! I was overcome with my usual insecurities; would I be able to keep up? Would I cramp? Would I slow her down?

At about the 4km mark, we slowed down quite a bit as she started to take strain. She had been struggling with a nasty flu bug from the week before and had misjudged how weak she still was. It had knocked her hard and she was not herself on the day. It happens and so we ended up just taking it easy.

Unbeknownst to her, I was tackling a lot of my own demons. It was only the second race that I was running since starting my running training with Coach Dave so I had no idea what my pace would be. But I felt super strong and confident. This is new.

This is what really mattered on the day:

I’m able to run without having to stop and walk every 500m.
I am definitely getting stronger.
I don’t have to be terrified anymore.
A day came when I was the strong one for a change.
I don’t care what the finishing time was. To me, what mattered was running with my friend.
Runners are a different breed. Why was I worried that she would leave me out on the course? Because I would never have done that to her.

My running priorities have definitely changed over the weeks since I’ve been attending track training. I signed up to run faster but as the weeks go by, things that I never thought of before make sense to me now. Such as managing to run and not walk as much as I used to. Such as finishing a race feeling strong. And knowing that some days it’s not about the time on my watch that defines what a great race is all about. Sometimes, it’s all about the company and facing those demons head on. Thanks Denise!

It’s serious now.

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Bo

I finally have one! A training programme from my running coach for the month of October. It feels like I’ve entered the big league now as I arrive at the running track checking out what my (I) pace or my (T) pace is for the session along with all the other runners. This is new for me because I’ve always been the kind of runner that just goes out and runs. (and then gets home disappointed at my pace).

But after almost two months of structured training, it’s finally sunk in. In my pre-Coach Dave days, every time I ran, I never had a plan as to how fast or slow I was going to run. My pace was either slightly faster that 8 mins/km or much slower than 8 mins/km. A structured programme cuts it up differently. There’s Easy, Threshold, Interval and Race pace and details as to when to run which pace on which days.

There is a sense of relief having a programme too. Not only does it give me set distances to stick to each week, but for a change I know the difference between a quality track session and an easy Sunday run. Because there is a difference.

The track work forces me to give 110% effort and learn to run at the required training paces. I’m improving my aerobic capacity, conditioning my body for longer runs and increasing my overall performance without risking injury. An easy run is to get precious time on my feet but resisting the urge to run faster than I should.

The tricky part is getting my body to be familiar with the different paces – am I running too fast? Am I going too slowly? Because right now, without looking at my Garmin, I don’t know. Baby steps, right? Ha, and I thought running was just running! Silly me!

(Image credit: http://www.runningonthewall.com)

The voices around me

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Bo

The people around you, both at work and socially, often have the biggest impact on your goals and the success you are in life. This was my conclusion as I completed my final lap around the track at training on Saturday morning.

Coach had us running 400m’s, then 800m’s a couple of times but I was so preoccupied thinking about the week that was that I hardly noticed the other runners lapping me. My head was swimming with thoughts about the people I work with, about the daily challenges I’m facing and the deadlines on the horizon.

As I started on that final lap, I heard the familiar voices from behind as they passed me, “Well done Bron” and “Keep going Bron, nice work!” My fellow runners.

This is definitely the one thing that stands out for me as one of the biggest benefits about training with other runners; the support of one another. When they catch me running my warm up out on the road, they’ll slow down so that I can (try) and keep up. They encourage me when I’m struggling to complete my last lap. They inspire me to run as fast as I can and constantly keep me motivated.

They build me up, lap after lap…

If you have a similar environment at work, you’re really blessed. Because it’s the people that make the difference. I’m not saying that every day is rosy and that every training session is easy. But I’m truly grateful that the colleagues I work with are who they are. I’m grateful that I have a manager who makes time for me, appreciative that I can laugh (mostly at myself) with my team and blessed to have work friends who care enough to support me daily.

And I’m especially grateful to be surrounded by such an awesome bunch of runners every time I train!

Getting to grips with grass

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Bo

Since committing to training with a running coach just over a month ago, I’m already seeing certain benefits. If I promise to pitch up at training and work hard, he pretty much takes care of everything else. In a way, it’s actually a relief.

For starters, my coach decides on how much running I do in the week. It’s such a weight off my shoulders knowing that someone else is watching my mileage. For a change, I’m not stressing over not having run really long LSDs on a Sundays. And it’s okay just to do 5kms twice a week. It’s in his hands. He has a plan.

Another thing I’m learning is what he means by consistency. It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality and learning to read my body.

Ironically, my coach is making sure I slow down a bit. *Wait a minute, I’m in this to speed up aren’t I?*. At the last track session, I felt strong. I’ve noticed that I’m doing a lot more running than walking. Just as he promised, I’m building that strong base foundation first. Speed work can only start once this is in place.

I must mention though that perhaps the biggest benefit is that I’ve learnt to run on grass! For me, the finish of any race is always the worst because it always feels like after running on the road, the grass on the field slows me down and sucks me in. Quite funny that where we train, the track is grass and it’s not that bad. Not that bad at all.