I named my post "the reluctant runner" because this year has been one of dramatic change for me. I grew up playing sports, lots of sports, everything I could register for. After years of badminton, volleyball, basketball, soccer, hockey, and rugby I settled into a rugby career that was demanding, exciting, and a tonne of fun. I always did loads of fitness and trained hard to make myself a better player, but I hated the distance running sessions with a passion. When the ability to play was removed by a neck injury a few years ago, I also lost my spark for training and quit distance training almost all together.
Being a part of the Sulli crew though, I continued to participate in school fitness, getting my calorie burn going in many different ways. I enjoyed the AB partner, trifecta (crossfit) and Insanity days much more than track or community running, but the last year has forced me to rethink my disdain for the pounding the pavement.
As a father of two small children, my time is precious and filled with pick ups, drop offs, swimming, ballet, and a busy bedtime routine. Gone are the days where I could "hit the gym" in the late afternoon or early evening. Plus, without the need to be bigger, for the abuse of a full contact sport, I no longer need to lift weights and gain mass. So with my school routine helping but not enough... I began the search for a new "healthy" me.
What I found part way through last school year was that I had time to exercise after 9-9:30pm, when the kids are in bed. Most classes at a YMCA were done by then, my need/desire to pump iron was gone, so I was left looking for free ways to keep my family history of heart disease at bay. What kept staring me in the face were my running shoes at the bottom of the stairs. So... with an angry face... I would lace up, turn on the Nike running app, crank the tunes and try to finish my run as fast as I could.
As summer approached I knew that BBQs, beaches, and two months without PE class was going to ruin the small start I had made so I decided to set a challenge for myself. I registered for my first ever half marathon (the 1st ever Surrey marathon too) and set about planning a running schedule to save myself from myself. All that summer I ran. I ran on holidays, I ran in the heat, I ran at night, I just ran... like Forrest Gump... and I hated every second of it. In September when the race day arrived, my training went out the window and I started too quickly. 2/3rds of the way through I hit a wall and spent the last 6km swearing at myself under my breath, watching all three of my friends pass me, and promising I would never do a half marathon again.
Being a part of the Sulli crew though, I continued to participate in school fitness, getting my calorie burn going in many different ways. I enjoyed the AB partner, trifecta (crossfit) and Insanity days much more than track or community running, but the last year has forced me to rethink my disdain for the pounding the pavement.
As a father of two small children, my time is precious and filled with pick ups, drop offs, swimming, ballet, and a busy bedtime routine. Gone are the days where I could "hit the gym" in the late afternoon or early evening. Plus, without the need to be bigger, for the abuse of a full contact sport, I no longer need to lift weights and gain mass. So with my school routine helping but not enough... I began the search for a new "healthy" me.
What I found part way through last school year was that I had time to exercise after 9-9:30pm, when the kids are in bed. Most classes at a YMCA were done by then, my need/desire to pump iron was gone, so I was left looking for free ways to keep my family history of heart disease at bay. What kept staring me in the face were my running shoes at the bottom of the stairs. So... with an angry face... I would lace up, turn on the Nike running app, crank the tunes and try to finish my run as fast as I could.
As summer approached I knew that BBQs, beaches, and two months without PE class was going to ruin the small start I had made so I decided to set a challenge for myself. I registered for my first ever half marathon (the 1st ever Surrey marathon too) and set about planning a running schedule to save myself from myself. All that summer I ran. I ran on holidays, I ran in the heat, I ran at night, I just ran... like Forrest Gump... and I hated every second of it. In September when the race day arrived, my training went out the window and I started too quickly. 2/3rds of the way through I hit a wall and spent the last 6km swearing at myself under my breath, watching all three of my friends pass me, and promising I would never do a half marathon again.
One of the things I dislike about running is how solo an activity it is. That makes it great because you can do it whenever you have time (you don't need to coordinate team members) but as a huge talker and social person, I also find it extremely boring.
As the school year progressed, I was able to use my four PE classes a day (including a senior PE in Blk 5 with the Superfit class) to keep myself fairly active. Normally this would have been more than enough for me, but though the marathon was passed, I found myself in the habit of heading out in the late evenings for a 5-10km run. I still didn't like it, but I kept doing it. As habits are hard to break, the miles kept clicking over, and I began to notice the changes in other aspects of my health. Since last June I have logged 188 miles over 37 runs, outside of the Tuesday/Friday fitness sessions I get at school.
I improved my diet by eating a more complete breakfast than in the past. The late night training had me looking for some eggs and fruit in the morning to go with my usual coffee. My lunches became less snack mix and more veggies. I had never had a high sugar/junk food diet but I was definitely inconsistent and incomplete in my daily calorie intake. I have regulated some of longer breaks without food I used to take, and I have been getting a little more nutrient dense food into the regular mix as well. The other major dietary change that has been necessary is to increase the amount of plain water I drink. I have never been a huge "hydrator" but this year has seen more glasses of water go down my throat than most. In the evenings the juice or chocolate milk has been replaced by extra waters, and I usually get 2 or 3 large mugs into me on fitness days. I still love my coffees but there is a better balance these days.
There has been a slow steady improvement in my fitness scores over the last year, but as I no longer need to compete for a spot, the bump from 11-12 to 13 on the beep test is only a small reminder of improved cardio vascular health. I still enjoy the friendly competition of peers and personal scores on the beep as a way to stretch the extra five or six cones out of myself. There has also been a slight drop in my times on distance runs, including this years Sun Run, where on only a few hours sleep I was able to squeeze out 10km in 48 minutes and change. Not amazing or a personal best, but considering the scenario of crowds and poor preparation, it again reflected an improved base level of fitness.
While all of the running has had some obviously positive impacts on my fitness, I am also aware that it comes with a whole set of negatives as well. For one, running improves cardio vascular health and aerobic fitness... but that's it. Running improves ones ability to run, and can be very hard on knees and ankles. It does nothing for strength, core stability, balance, explosive power, agility, anaerobic fitness, or spacial awareness... in fact it can actually impact these ways of being Physically Educated negatively in many cases. All of these things are crucial to an athletes success, but everything is a trade off, so I work to address my holistic fitness during my PE class fitness sessions. That said, I am also no longer an athlete, and my needs have changed. No longer is my success dependent on sprint speed or strength in contact. As I grow older I have an increasing need for less intense activity and a greater focus on moderate aerobic fitness for my heart.
This is where we get to the next chapter in my "New Neuf" fitness book. Despite my natural inclination to do the things I have always done to be healthy, despite my previous successes with various forms of physical training and athletic competition, and despite my short attention span and extremely stubborn personality... I have decided I need to not only continue to run, but to learn to run more slowly. That's right, more slowly. I need to balance the high intensity running and full body fitness with a focus on extended but moderate running. This will allow me to continue to maximize the benefits of training for my heart attack prone ticker AND reduce the risk/severity of joint and muscle overuse injury. It will also mark a major mental shift for me. No longer will I be able to run at my maximum to get fitness over with. I will need to pay much more attention to pacing, and learn to quiet my mind from the competition and pressure to push. I will need to find the elusive calm that many runners experience, but which has always eluded me.
Like the half marathon at the start of the year, I have decided to pressure myself into my desired behaviour... by signing up for a full marathon (something I swore I would never do... even 3 months ago). Knowing I have 43kms to run in the fall, and that I CANNOT do that many miles at my current training pace/intensity, I will be constantly reminded to slow down and extend my runs, out of self preservation. The stubborn part of me needs this kick in face I think. I still don't enjoy running... but there is something in humans that finds satisfaction in doing difficult things, so I will continue to lace up the runners, turn on the Nike app, pump the tunes, and reluctantly put in the miles... a little more slowly than before.
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