What's it all about?
At least writing this diary gives me something to think about while running. Yesterday's 7-mile meditation was "long-distance running: what's it all about?"
I'm coming to the conclusion that it's not about not getting out of breath, or how fast your muscles will take you, or about the strength of your heart and lungs, or even much about toughening up your joints to survive 40,000 impacts without a rest.
I think it's about your whole body being able to take half a day's exertion without everything turning to jelly and you collapsing in a heap. It may sound obvious, but it seems the key to this training is not so much strengthening muscles and joints, but simply building endurance, core strength. I feel like right now, I could probably run a half marathon, but would be completely shattered at the end. By April, I've got to be able to do that and then get up and do another one.
I think I will only really start to understand what long-distance running is about after Christmas, when the serious, regular mileage starts to kick in.
Note to self: take some water on next week's long run. I haven't bothered so far, but by the second lap I was feeling dehydrated. Everyone says it's important, so I'd better get used to it.
I'm coming to the conclusion that it's not about not getting out of breath, or how fast your muscles will take you, or about the strength of your heart and lungs, or even much about toughening up your joints to survive 40,000 impacts without a rest.
I think it's about your whole body being able to take half a day's exertion without everything turning to jelly and you collapsing in a heap. It may sound obvious, but it seems the key to this training is not so much strengthening muscles and joints, but simply building endurance, core strength. I feel like right now, I could probably run a half marathon, but would be completely shattered at the end. By April, I've got to be able to do that and then get up and do another one.
I think I will only really start to understand what long-distance running is about after Christmas, when the serious, regular mileage starts to kick in.
Note to self: take some water on next week's long run. I haven't bothered so far, but by the second lap I was feeling dehydrated. Everyone says it's important, so I'd better get used to it.
