Over the last couple of weeks my running has tailed off quite dramatically. I had been in a phase when, despite having no specific races in the pipeline to prepare for, I was trying to keep to a routine of three runs a week – a short one (30-40 minutes) on Tuesday evening, a slightly longer one (about one hour) at my running club on Thursday evening and then a longer one again (something like 7-10 miles) at the weekend. My overall goal was to stick with that kind of plan through December, gradually lengthening the weekend run before launching into a more intensive training plan, along the lines that I followed at the start of 2017, in January ahead of a major (ultramarathon) event in May/June. Sadly, even my modest plan for December hit the rails – I ended up prioritizing the marking I had to do a couple of times which killed off the Tuesday run and twice in a row I missed the Thursday run because it was cold or wet or I was tired, i.e. for no particularly good reason other than general self-preservation through what is probably my busiest time of year at work.
With this in mind I have been particularly pleased that, even though I have not really felt like it, I HAVE managed to get out for a run on both of the last two Saturdays. Admittedly, on each occasion my runs were shorter than my target (they were just 4.3 miles and 5 miles) BUT I am pleased that I did SOMETHING. In this context, something is definitely better than nothing – it has kept me moving and given me some sense that I am still a runner and, surprisingly, both runs felt good once I had got myself going. These two shortish runs have helped to build a running bridge over the last couple of weeks and as I approach the new year, when my training must ramp up several notches if I am going to get to where I want/need to be in the spring, it’s now time to step off that bridge and get back into things properly.
Tim O'Hare 