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Go!vember
Well, with October long gone and the big race only a week away, time for an update...
October was a big and largely successful month of running for me, and not without reason as I knew the first two weeks of November were going to be difficult with the dreaded night shifts putting paid to any serious training. It also (although I hadn’t expected this) killed off the chance of running the 10km race on the 6th, where I had hoped to try for a PB. As it turned out, work intervened and I didn’t even get to the start line which was a shame, but such is life.
Anyhow, a couple of decent runs today and yesterday suggest things are still OK. I’m pretty much convinced now that I should shelve any great hopes for a fast P2P, but I should be able to finish in reasonable style, which is all I really want. I had something of an epiphany yesterday whilst tackling a one hour uphill session. The run went really, really well and I finished feeling very strong and confident because I ran the thing slowly, which really was the key to enjoying it – run slowly and finish well. That is a much more satisfying result than killing myself over a fast time.
But to the race itself, now just 8 days away. I am looking forward to it immensely, but it’s also fair to say I’m looking forward to it being over. There’s no doubt the training has been tough and relentless. And like the training required for any serious race, I find it extremely difficult to fit it into my lifestyle. Being a shift worker, working strange and long hours, I have no set routine in my life. Whilst I enjoy the variety this brings, it doesn’t sit well with training schedules and I have always found it tough to slot in regular runs, week after week. Mrs MLCM pointed out a home truth to me just yesterday when she commented how I sleep badly and get sick in the last weeks before a race – she maintains this has happened with each race I’ve run this year, and I have no reason to believe this isn’t so. Races themselves aren’t the problem – I’ve always enjoyed racing and have never regretted entering any event. But the training required for them is a constant struggle, and it could well be that the slight but constant niggling pressure to stick to a training schedule is enough to affect my sleep patterns (difficult enough to do with shift work) and cause me to become run down more than the training itself would normally suggest. It’s the mental pressure, more than anything I think. Constantly playing catch-up with a training schedule is never any fun.
Actually, I had something else of a revelation when considering this “mental” aspect of running, or indeed any sport. The recent fiasco in the first cricket test Australia –v- South Africa is the case in point. Australia made a reasonable 284 in the first innings, and then sensationally bowled out South Africa for just 96. Brilliant! But then South Africa destroyed Australia in their second innings for an embarrassing paltry 47 before going on to win by 8 wickets. Clearly there is more happening here than just a pitch “doing something” or a bowler having a great day. Cricketing collapses (and their reverse, the “digging in”) are surely largely mental aspects of the game. And I believe endurance running is the same – beyond a certain level of fitness and technique, it’s the mental aspect that largely determines performance.
In that respect, I’m prepared to accept my wife’s assertion that training for a race makes me sick. I’m not talking anything major here – this is all relatively minor stuff, but it’s perhaps true that the pressure of a training schedule messes with my head somewhat, disrupting my sleep and lowering my immune system. But I also need the pressure of a race and its deadline to get me in my running gear day after day. Like a lot of people, I don’t find the actual running terribly pleasant – at least not enough of the runs to ensure I get out there on a daily basis. It’s more the after-effects I’m chasing: the feeling of wellness, fitness and the occasional burst of endorphins. Still it’s not enough unless I have a few race goals thrown into the mix to get me into a routine. Most probably because as I said, I’m not a routine “Monday to Friday” kind of guy.
So, to that end I’m not scheduling any races for a while after P2P. I think I owe it to Mrs MLCM to remove the pressure (imagined or real, it doesn’t matter) of race deadlines and tight training schedules for a bit.
As much as I’d like to have another crack at a marathon next year, the truth is that the enormous amount of training and the discipline required to see it through don’t fit with our lifestyles, so it’s perhaps best put back on the shelf for a while at least. I certainly need to get my sleep patterns back into some sort of order before committing to any other great race goal.
Now of course that means I have the pressure of forcing myself to run regularly without race goals to help. At least however I’m starting from a good mileage base and don’t have to run as often or nearly as hard and as far as I have in training for this mountain race. And any injury niggles can be given good time to heal, rather than having to force the issue to get back on track again.
Running takes a lot of time and organisation, especially when training for specific races. Beyond what’s required for general fitness and well-being, I think running can be quite taxing on family life, and so it’s time to restore the family/running/work/life balance I think. Back to a gentle 20km or so per week instead of twice that with hill climbs, intervals and ever-longer long runs plus the ever-looming race day deadlines thrown in to make life tough.
However, first things first. Erm, to the last race on my schedule... I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, so bring it on! The mighty Sweder and living legend Seafront Plodder arrive next Thursday for the global RC Point to Pinnacle challenge, and it’s going to be a blast!
Onward and upward, brethren!
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Go!vember
