Sunday morning; grey skies; chill air. I don't want to go running today!
However, I will rise to the challenge. (Really.) I will gather my willpower around me like chain metal, run through some stretches, strap on my heart rate monitor and go out that door. (All in good time.) I will slip my feet into those runners and pound that pavement until my allocated hour is up. (When I'm properly awake, of course; no need to get silly ...)
I need some inspiration. I turn to my companion in matters of the mind: J. S. Bach; in particular, the third movement of one of his violin concertos*. I identify - in an aspirational sense - with two sections of this short piece. When I listen to it, I think: "I AM that persistent ostinato solo note in the last minute which holds its place despite the mounting pressure of those ascending chords and key changes beneath." I also think: "I AM those ascending sequences played by the soloist which just keep going onwards and upwards, onwards and upwards."** I am strong; I persist; and I surprise myself. I really do.
Great! Willpower gathered. Heart rate monitor on. Jelly babies in hand. I can do this, I am going to do this, and out the door I go .........
* BWV 1042, Allegro Assai, for the truly interested
** The truly interested will laugh, knowing that I've listed these in reverse order than these segments appear in the music; but I'll take my inspiration any way I like it, thank you
Showing posts with label challenges. Show all posts
Showing posts with label challenges. Show all posts
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Friday, 17 June 2011
Half Marathon Training: One Week Down
Phew: it's Friday, and the first 'rest day' in my training regime for the Melbourne half-marathon on 9th October - it's time to look back over the past seven days, and reflect on where this journey's taken me so far.
What a week it's been! My body's held up well; no lingering soreness, aching or tenderness, no blisters, and - most importantly - no injuries. In fact, my immune system seems to have received a boost: the jury's still out as to whether it was an allergy reaction or the shortest cold in history, but I went to bed feeling lousy on Tuesday evening, woke up at 3:22am with a streaming nose, and was completely recovered less than twelve hours later.
I've been able to stick with the miCoach training plan pretty well. Distance is never an issue, but speed is; I seem to be able to run for as long as I want, but there are definite limits on how fast I can push myself. Perhaps my body believes there's a Catie-centric universal invariant similar to c? No, that would be ridiculous ... though I'd like to hear Dr Sheldon Cooper's thoughts on the matter! Anyone who's met me won't be surprised by my lack of speed: I'm not a tall person, and my legs are short for even my height. I'm never going to be a sprinter, and that's fine by me.
Over the last two days it's sunk in that I'm attempting something new. Throughout my life I've chosen to take on various intellectual challenges, and my health has forced me to face significant emotional trials. Training for this half marathon will be the hardest physical test I've ever set myself.
One week down, sixteen to go, and a lot of ground to cover - physically and mentally - inbetween.
What a week it's been! My body's held up well; no lingering soreness, aching or tenderness, no blisters, and - most importantly - no injuries. In fact, my immune system seems to have received a boost: the jury's still out as to whether it was an allergy reaction or the shortest cold in history, but I went to bed feeling lousy on Tuesday evening, woke up at 3:22am with a streaming nose, and was completely recovered less than twelve hours later.
I've been able to stick with the miCoach training plan pretty well. Distance is never an issue, but speed is; I seem to be able to run for as long as I want, but there are definite limits on how fast I can push myself. Perhaps my body believes there's a Catie-centric universal invariant similar to c? No, that would be ridiculous ... though I'd like to hear Dr Sheldon Cooper's thoughts on the matter! Anyone who's met me won't be surprised by my lack of speed: I'm not a tall person, and my legs are short for even my height. I'm never going to be a sprinter, and that's fine by me.
Over the last two days it's sunk in that I'm attempting something new. Throughout my life I've chosen to take on various intellectual challenges, and my health has forced me to face significant emotional trials. Training for this half marathon will be the hardest physical test I've ever set myself.
One week down, sixteen to go, and a lot of ground to cover - physically and mentally - inbetween.
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