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On the road again
Dec. 21st, 2004 11:33 amBack in November I ran my second half marathon (my first 'real' one - the previous one was the Great North Run which we ran very slowly in fancy dress). Because I ran with someone, I really pushed myself. I ended up with a good time (for me) but with a knee that hurt badly.
The knee kept me off the road for a week or so. Then, just when I was thinking about getting out again, a nasty virus/cough bug got me, and laid me low for over 3 weeks. Even walking my kids to school was hard work, and running was out of the question. Very depressing. I felt as though all my hard-earned fitness was slipping away.
Now I'm finally running again (I did 5 miles this morning and felt OK) and feeling much happier. However, the layoff gave me the chance to have a good think about my running and why I was doing it.
All of this year I've been training for the half marathons. When I started back in March I definitely wasn't what I'd call a runner. I could run 3 miles at a push, and I didn't enjoy it. Over the course of the year, training for the half kept me sticking to my training schedule. Got me out there in all weathers at the crack of dawn to run. In the process I discovered that I actually liked running. I'm not fast, and never will be, but running became increasingly important to me.
During this layoff I've realised a couple of very important things. One is that I like to run alone. I don't think I want to run any more races, and I don't want to train as part of a group. For me, running is best when it's a solitary activity.
The other thing I've spent a lot of time thinking about is whether this year I had just been running to get fit enough to run the Great North, or whether I had actually become a runner, who would run whatever?
I'm sure now. I'm a runner. And I'm going to go on running, even if I never enter another race.
The knee kept me off the road for a week or so. Then, just when I was thinking about getting out again, a nasty virus/cough bug got me, and laid me low for over 3 weeks. Even walking my kids to school was hard work, and running was out of the question. Very depressing. I felt as though all my hard-earned fitness was slipping away.
Now I'm finally running again (I did 5 miles this morning and felt OK) and feeling much happier. However, the layoff gave me the chance to have a good think about my running and why I was doing it.
All of this year I've been training for the half marathons. When I started back in March I definitely wasn't what I'd call a runner. I could run 3 miles at a push, and I didn't enjoy it. Over the course of the year, training for the half kept me sticking to my training schedule. Got me out there in all weathers at the crack of dawn to run. In the process I discovered that I actually liked running. I'm not fast, and never will be, but running became increasingly important to me.
During this layoff I've realised a couple of very important things. One is that I like to run alone. I don't think I want to run any more races, and I don't want to train as part of a group. For me, running is best when it's a solitary activity.
The other thing I've spent a lot of time thinking about is whether this year I had just been running to get fit enough to run the Great North, or whether I had actually become a runner, who would run whatever?
I'm sure now. I'm a runner. And I'm going to go on running, even if I never enter another race.
