Running with a purpose again

It’s been quite some time since I’ve written anything here, as I didn’t really feel inspired much lately nor had anything much interesting to write about, and I haven’t had much time.  I can’t force it.  If try that, I just stare at a blank page and fight the whole time, and then it just seems like such an effort and it’s really not enjoyable.  If it doesn’t just flow out easily, it’s a real chore.  And who like chores.

Post marathon running with no race plans in the future was nice for a while as you can pick if and how far you want to run, and at whatever pace you desire.  Having a prescribed distance, pace, schedule for a long training season can leave you feeling burnt out and turn you right off the thing that you love.  But I can only do this for a short time.  After a while I feel adrift with no focus and bail on too many runs and just feel blasé.  If I go for too long in this direction, there’s a good chance that I might just drop the activity altogether.

For me, I need to have a race planned in the future.  Nothing gets me moving and motivated with a purpose like another race on the horizon.  I’m happy to say that we’ve signed up for the Chilli Half Marathon in Oakville for March 5 and have now begun the training.

Getting back into running after the rest weeks of the marathon in October I wanted to focus on running shorter distances but work on speed; I was tired of being at the back of the pack.  Every run was shorter than usual (about 5-8 k) and I ran pushing the pace to my limit.  It was quite fun, but I struggled a fair bit and had to take a lot more walk breaks than usual.  Last weekend’s run was the first time going 12k since the marathon and I was a bit nervous.  There was no way I could maintain my now faster pace over a 12k run.  So, I decided to pull out the heart rate monitor and run let my heart rate determine my pace.  I’ve learned from past experience what heart rate I need run for longer runs and what heart rate would put me over the edge and leave me gasping, frustrated and walking way more than I would find acceptable.  Anything over 160 beats per minute (bpm) is over the red line for me and I can’t maintain for more than 10k.  What I need is about mid 150s bpm and I’m fine.  It’s still pushing it a bit, but manageable over a longer haul.  So I monitored the heart rate, keeping it under 160 and barely walked for the 12k and it felt great!  And my overall time was pretty good too!

I’ve also dropped some weight, as since last summer I let things slide a bit too much with drinks & food.  The recent holidays just put me over the top at a whopping 267 lbs.  Yes, my pants hate me right now.  I’ve decided to drop back down to low 240s which is a decent weight for me and leaves me feeling light and quicker, without feeling too weak.  No rush though, I’m taking my time, and I’m already a few lbs down and I can definitely feel the difference in last night’s run.  I felt lighter and quicker and it every stride required a bit less effort.  I’m excited about the big difference I’ll feel at 240 lbs.  That’s what keeps me motivated to lose the weight.  Plus I can breathe while wearing my work pants again.

Last night’s run also felt great as I decided to crank up the mileage for Tuesday/Thursday runs to 10k and slowed the pace so I could go the distance and finish feeling better.  It’s all been a good reminder that while running faster and shorter distances can be fun, but it’s going longer and feeling stronger that I appreciate so much more; even if the pace is slower.

So it feels good to have a set training schedule ahead of me again (thankfully much shorter than a full marathon schedule).  A sense of purpose to the runs, as each run builds on the next run and it all gets better.  Race day itself is actually kind of anti-climactic for me, as it’s never my best run.  It’s pushing it during the training that I have my best runs and breakthroughs.