The Ups and Downs of Running

[robertf]

Andy and all...

A few random thoughts. First off Andy...I discovered a segment of diary (chicago 2002) which I hadn't yet read. I printed off half of it and read it in bed last night chuckling aloud to the great annoyance of my wife... Until I read her some of it out aloud and she too joined in the mirth. Thanks for the great writing and making us laugh on a grim/rainy Sunday night. Which brings me to...I noticed the number of new diary entries is much less...please give us MORE!

The other thought....The randomness of the UPS and DOWNS of running never ceases to amaze me. A couple of weeks ago I wrote here on top of the world at achieving a 60mins 10k. The next week I was full of optimistic endevour and feeling I would soon beat my weight loss goal and finally be on the way to regularly near daily runs. Didn't happen. Partly lack of willpower...my diet went off the rails and bizarrely I have now put on 6 pounds in 2 weeks! Secondly, linked, I had to go away on business for a week and didn;t run once, ate badly and felt very depressed about the whole business. Yesterday I did my 'long' run and felt very tired after 30mins and came home. I thought "how can this be" when 2 weeks ago I was strong as an Ox running by 10k race?!

I then read Andy's diary entries as mentioned and today feel very buoyed that I am not alone in this kind of craziness. eg: I read Andy that you had 7 weeks off after London and then had to gradually rebuild your running.

Onward and upwards. Today I WILL run for at least 20mins using my new strategy (dreampt up yesterday) of trying for regular evening runs.

cheers
Robert

[El Gordo]

Hi Robert

Glad to hear that I'm helping to keep your marriage sparkling....

Ups and downs? You bet. November was either a great month or a rotten one - I can't decide which. Started off well, then I had a strangely inactive week before the Brighton 10K on the 16th. Then had 2 weeks holiday from work and decided it was time for a final fling before some serious marathon training starts. Rediscovered the pub, then went off to Spain for a week where the Rioja never let me get too far away from the danger of alcohol poisoning.

Back at work today, but won't run until tomorrow.

When I was away I kept fairly detailed notes, so I'll be writing those up in the next day or two.

Thanks for the nice comments. It's training for something in particular that gets the entries going, so there'll be plenty to read soon.

Cheers

Andy

[Seafront Plodder]

You are not alone Robert.

I can't be bothered at the moment either, partly because every waking moment that isn't work, is spent putting in a new kitchen, (are those bloody unit legs designed to snap off the moment you move the a%&ing thing!!), and partly because I don't have a race to train for.

I've put on 5lbs in the last month (since running the Dublin marathon), and feel decidedly unfit. What with the party season already in full swing it really is hard to be motivated.

Ideas anyone?

A.

[El Gordo]

SP, I'm not at all surprised you're a bit demotivated at the moment. It's often happens after races that you've spent weeks and months training for - and particularly marathons.

After all this time of working your way towards something, it's been and gone, and what's left? Just a sense of anti-climax.

Firstly, don't be too hard on yourself. You've done something pretty amazing, and there's no harm in having a rest, and rewarding yourself with a few luxuries.

Second, it's a tough time of year to get remotivated. The weather's rotten, and Christmas is coming up.

But that's still a few weeks away, so I'd be reluctant to say "wait till the new year". In fact, in the last couple of years, I've really enjoyed running on Christmas morning and through the holiday generally.

The best advice isn't original, but I'll say it anyway: give yourself another target. The thought of another marathon is probably too much at this stage. You need to recover mentally as well as physically. But how about looking through the Runners World events for the new year, and picking out a couple of things to aim for? How about the Brighton Half on Feb 22, or the Bramley 10 or Bramley 20 the following weekend? Even Antonio is thinking of doing Bramley, so you'd better have a damn good excuse.

Pull yourself together man..... find a couple of events, start planning a very gentle schedule through December just to keep you alive, then really knuckle down after Christmas. I've got to do the same as the marathon I hope to do at the end of April means starting my serious training in Christmas Week!

I was supposed to start back this morning but 9 consecutive days of holiday excess kept me asleep beyond the planned time. But tomorrow morning, 6am, I'll be out there.

Give yourself a few days to make some plans, do a bit of reading about running, get in the mood, then at the weekend, get those trainers on and get out there. It will feel bad at first, but by this time next week you'll be buzzing again.

Let us know how you get on.

Andy

[Liz]

Goals are definitely the way to go.

Personally, I am extremely motivated to run at the moment (can you hear the smug tone?).

Unfortunately the reason for this amazing motivation is because I am currently not allowed to run. I was told in the summer that the tendonitis in my ankle is an overuse injury and I have to stop running for probably 6 weeks. Of course, running is the only exercise that I want to do at the moment and I've yet to get the dust off my nordictrack in an attempt to retain some fitness. My name is Liz and I'm a runnerholic. I haven't run in 17 days.

Seriously though, after the Chicago marathon, I had 5 weeks before the Richmond one. I believe I ran 6 times in that time - it seemed totally impossible to get out there. Andy is right - you need mental recovery time.

[Seafront Plodder]

Originally posted by Liz
- you need mental recovery time.

Good phrase Liz. I suppose we all get too hung up on the physical recovery to think about how it affects us mentally.

[El Gordo]

The two marathons I've done have been as mentally exhausting as anything I've done in my life. Almost as bad as the play-off final in Cardiff.

There's no real shortcut, and nor should there be. You need time to enjoy your achievement -- it's part of the reward. Eventually what seems to happen is what you're experiencing; this feeling of "hang on, how come I've put on all this weight?" And that's the time to start casually thinking about the next challenge.

It becomes a kind of self-feeding enthusiasm, at least for me. Some people just say "get out there" when it comes to starting back, but I think it's useful to build up your eagerness with a few plans and a bit of reading. Within a few days, 'getting out there' just comes naturally.

Andy

[Liz]

SP - how about actually forbidding yourself to run until, say, Saturday? It would remove that vague guilty feeling that you're not running and might possibly get you out there on Saturday. If it doesn't work, you only lose a few days, but it might build the anticipation needed. Also promise yourself that when you do get out there, it's going to be for fun - a nice short, slow run, just to enjoy it and to have absolutely nothing to do with marathon training.

The other thing that sometimes works for me is to decide to go out for a mere 15 minutes. Of course at the end of the 15 minutes, I always decide to keep going...

[Nigel]

Encouragement to run can be a good thing, SP, but only if you're not still sore after your marathon. What is it - just six weeks since Dublin ? A mammoth, legendary effort then in the closing miles, as I recall. It takes time to come back after such heroism.

Your disinclination to run far at the moment sounds reasonable to me. Long slow training runs are survivable but racing is different. All that running when you're burning muscle past 20 miles in a marathon causes physical damage you need to repair. Not to mention the mental anguish of counting down the yards to the finish and your first Guinness.

How many marathons are you going to run in your lifetime ? Probably not that many. Are you Paula Radcliffe in disguise ? Probably not really. So taking an extra week or two after such a mammoth achievement looks like far less of a risk than coming back too soon.

Taking Liz's suggestion of scheduling some 15 minute jogs on sunny days sounds like a good way to ease yourself back in before Christmas - and avoid speedwork or long runs until the New Year at least. Then it's resolution time, and you'll be up and running, rested and round as a plum pudding....!