Monday's run & training thoughts

Despite my lack of motivation and general lethargy, I did convince myself to go for a run yesterday. Unfortunately, I had to cut it short as the light began to fade and the temperature started to plummet.

For a brief moment, I ran laps of the park beneath the bright face of a waxy yellow moon. It was strangely peaceful and serene; listening to my music, far away from the hustle and bustle, left to my own devices. Then I realised that I couldn't see the trees or the dogs or the cyclists and it was getting quite dangerous. As the weather continues to turn, I'm going to need to come up with more suitable alternatives. I'd prefer not to run along busy roads and streets, but it might come to that.

In other news, I discovered that one lap of the estate where I work is almost exactly one mile. This is really cool. If I can drive here on the weekend, this place will make for an excellent practice track - flat, smooth, and firm, almost exactly what I'm expecting London to be.



So how am I doing? Part of me wants to believe that I'm doing really well. Still just over five months to go and I'm capable of running 1/3 the total length. I'd be absolutely delighted if I can bump that up to at least half. If I can run thirteen miles on the day, I can hold my head up high. Everything is still part of the learning curve - drinking protein shakes when I get home, cursing myself for forgetting to use Vaseline, trying to eat right, etc. - but it's slowly becoming more natural.

One of the biggest problems I'm encountering is that my core isn't strong enough for the distances I'm running. Once I get home (and stretch, shower, change), my back begins to ache as though I've been slouching all day. It's a dull, continuous, monotonous ache in the lower spine that nags like you wouldn't believe. Fortunately, yoga stretches go a long way to alleviating this agony, but that's just a short-term solution. I'm going to need to improve my stomach (let's get some washboard abs too, ha-ha!) if I'm going to keep running these distances.

In other news, I've been featured on the company's LinkedIn profile and my efforts have been shared on the official Twitter page! I'm still a long way from my goals - both physical and charity - but there's still enough time to rectify that.