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I've read so many different opinions out there on how to become a better runner that my head is spinning. "Should I try the C25K again? What about speed sprints? What are these drills everyone keeps talking about?" The best advice I've read so far is to just do it. Yes...and now what?
I've been trying to get back into running, but the idea of running 3 miles, when I know I haven't been able to run 2 miles without stopping to walk a bit, is daunting. And each time I try I
don't reach my goal and all I do is wind up feeling bad about myself.
April 19, 2009. That's the last time I was able to run a 5K all the way through. My time was 36:21.
September 6, 2009. That's the date of my latest 5K. My time was around 39:51.
Not good.
I'm going in reverse, but the thing is I know it's my own fault. I am not running regularly so there is no one else to blame.
My goal this year was to get my 5K time to 30 minutes or less. I have failed miserably...but the year is not over.
My new goal is to get my 5K time to under 35 minutes. I can still achieve this by the time my final race of the year happens on December 5, 2009.
I know that if I put my mind to it and stop letting things get in the way, I can get to that goal and blow it out of the water. But how?
This afternoon I went for a run. I ran for 18:56.
During my run, I was just trying to keep going. I did want to reach my 2 mile goal, but after the hill I couldn't go anymore so I stopped. This time, instead of paying attention to how far I ran, I focused on how long I ran - 18:56. It wasn't until I got home that I figured out through MapMyRun that I ran 1.63 miles. Then I thought, maybe distance is not what I should be striving for, but time. Maybe focusing on running for more time rather than distance will allow me to truly measure my progress.
So that's my new thing...running for time. Each day I run, I am going to add at least 1 minutes to my previous day. If I run 4-5 days per week, I can easily increase my time by 4-5 minutes each week. I am sure that as my time increases, so will my distance. I have until October 3, 2009 - the date of my next 5K race - to get myself running continuously for 30 minutes. I can so do this.
