A Love Affair Called Running

What does one do when one fails to stick to his resolution? Fall into despair? Heave out a sigh and accept that it can never be done? Or realize his own weakness, pick up the pieces and try again?

I have shamefully succumbed and gave in to sloth. And because much of what I write comes from the inspiration I get from running, I have also ceased to drop a line on my blogsite. That is how bad my state of affairs has become with my running program. And when I finally got the grace to pick up my running shoes and hit the track, I found myself totally out of form. I was back to square one. Sadly, all the milestones I have achieved these past few months have been buried and needed a lot of unearthing. After my pathetic run after an hour, I ended my work out feeling so tired and drained and regretful that I have allowed myself to fall back this far.

That night my body gave in to fatigue and my immune system gave way to respiratory illness. I have learned an important lesson. The body can be your strongest friend or foe in this love affair called running. You must be consistent in your courtship to maintain the interest, the fervor, the vigor. The moment you falter and distance yourself from the exercise, the body will be very quick in forgetting about all your initial efforts. As a beginner, the period of courtship between running and the body is very fragile. Consistency is imperative. But if you find true love in running, you will go back. Ask for absolution and suffer the consequences and try again. Let the body be wooed once more. It is only in consistency and the assurance of fidelity to the program will the body once again give in. With love rekindled, the beginner will be transformed. He will learn that for this love to end in marriage... in complete union where the body finds utter joy and fulfillment in being able to perform the exercise called running, commitment is needed. This means standing up after every fall. For in every relationship that is good, forgiveness is easily extended. Thus is the love affair of running.

Building Up for Endurance

For me, the holiday is over. I need to get back in shape, not that I have totally lost it. Just a 3-pound gain which I can easily lose. The holidays gave me a lot of excuses to miss running three times a week. But today, I have decided to break in my new shoes... a Christmas gift from my husband. Yeey!

I looked at the sky and smiled. It was casted with thick clouds. Getting back to the stadium gave me a sense of coming home. There were the usual morning runners occupying the tracks. The air was cool and the occasional blowing of the wind brought a refreshing touch to my face. Wearing my new Nike plus zoom with the nike i-pod+ sensor neatly tucked in my left shoe, I began to run and pray.

I have just finished Haruku Murakami's book and a new resolution has evolved. Running has brought me a clearer perspective of my life and where God is leading me and my family. When you run in circles in a track filled with strangers with only your i-pod as your companion and you do that for an hour, you are left with nothing but your thoughts. Most of the time, these thoughts would also desert you, bored with what you are doing and you are left with nothing in your mind. The blankness and the silence is just the perfect environment that awakens the spirit within. Then you hear the Voice that whispers so softly. Then you realize why there are some runners who prefer to do long-distance running.

After an hour of running slowly on the track, I pushed 'work out completed' in my i-pod and shifted to walking. Covering a distance of 7.96km, I have awakened my slackened body to embrace the 2009 training I have set out for it to do. For week 1 of January, I need to cover 26-km broken down as follows, at least 6-km done 3x a week for Build Up and one LSD of 9k for endurance. My ultimate weekly distance target for base training is 33-km per week which I hope to achieve sometime in April.

The basis is the recommended training program for a beginner who wish to run a half-marathon and this is to run a total distance of 20-30 miles per week (32.2 - 48.3 km/ week), with a frequency of 3-4x a week for base training. From my previous weekly distance of 15-20km/week, I am building up my mileage to that of the target. This build up should be done gradually, following the rule of not greater than 2 miles/ week (3.2 km per week) or 10% of current distance whichever is greater. Every forth week, I also incorporated an Easy Week which is equivalent to 75% of the current distance being ran.

This slow build up is done in order to teach my bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons to strengthen and adapt to the distance. This build up is a sense of programming so that normal adaptation occurs and the body does not succumb to injury. Training requires a lot of patience, consistency and discipline. There is no shortcut to my half-marathon. Cramming will not work.

I ended my morning work-out with a prayer: Lord, help me to carry my crosses daily but let it be the cross that you give me and not crosses I make for myself, for Your yoke is easy and Your burden light. May I go about my business doing things Your way because Your ways are not my ways. Your ways are better than mine.

Then I hear His voice ever so faint:

"I have plans for you... plans to prosper and bless you and not harm you. Because I have come so that you may have life and have it abundantly."

My spirit expanded. A new year is ahead of me, filled with hope and so much promise. I went home to a new book waiting for its pages to be devoured... Running and Philosophy - a marathon for the mind, edited by Michael W. Austin. This is a promising companion for my build up to base training. As I discipline my body, so will I discipline my mind and soul and feed it with healthy stuff as well.