good morning !
It’s been a little over a month since I last hoddled about running. It came during a months-long process of struggling to break through some sort of struggle I encountered. Overtraining? Lack of focus? Probably both.
Since that hoddle I decided it was time to run a half marathon. Maybe it was the fear of failure that kept me from pushing myself again, maybe it was aimless running (not running for fun, but not knowing what I was doing).
So here I am this past Sunday, lying on the ground after setting a new personal best of 1:35.06 (six seconds above my target time!).
I rediscovered the joy of running during the training sessions that led up to it, especially those long runs on Sundays. Sure, the anxiety the night before and waking up early the morning of were rough, but actually getting out there felt great.
That training paid dividends. What I’m most proud of was my steady-eddy pace the whole time. Aside from being a little too excited going out of the gate, and a little tired towards the end, my splits were pretty consistent —
Fitzie’s splits: 6:42 / 7:04.1 / 7:12.7 / 7:14.4 / 7:14.1 / 7:14.7 / 7:11.9 / 7:09.0 / 7:16 / 7:13.4 / 7:16.5 / 7:32.5
It can be very difficult to keep steady during a race. There’s a tonne of anxiety over people passing you, you passing other people, getting caught up in the race of it all.
So I’m very happy that I maintained my own pace even when I formed a little group with two other runners, both using me to set the pace, identify puddles and block the wind.
I’d soon find out they failed to maintain their own paces. The first runner dropped off after the 10k mark, the other around the 9-mile mark. I finished the race about 5-15 minutes before them, waiting to congratulate them on a good race and the unspoken connection built over the course of several miles.
Covered in mud and with soaked shoes, I crossed the finish line after achieving my personal best, feeling very happy to be back after an almost-lost year. My goals heading into 2024 were to run at least two half marathons (with an eye on a full marathon).
That didn’t pan out, but we learn along the way. I guess I learned the practice of self-care, knowing when to take a break and when to ramp it up.
I’m not quite sure of my new running goals yet. Maybe there’s time to run another half before the year’s up and, if that goes well, set my focus towards another full in 2025 (because I very much want to beat my personal record).
For now I’ll give myself another few days to enjoy my most recent PB.
Fitzie’s track of the day: Alone, by The Cure
And now for your links
Alasdair Gold’s player ratings from Tottenham’s 3-0 win over Qarabag
The traffic chaos that left Qarabag tardy for Thursday’s fixture
Dan KP: Tottenham mature as Big Ange decision pays off
Jay Harris ($$): Do Spurs have enough depth for both Europa and Premier League?