How you measure progress? Is it all about the Garmin stats? The x number of races you commit to each year? Running a marathon. Finishing an Ironman?
What about taking a step back? Reassessing your goals to discover why?
It’s easy to say I run because it makes me feel good but I think there’s a deeper layer to that reasoning. It’s more than just feeling light, exhilarated and fulfilled. I hope that in some ways running and tri-ing makes me a better person in more ways than one.
Running is an investment in my health.
When I run, I gain clarity and my problems become miniscule.
I gain perspective on the road.
It’s in those moments of pushing my body to the limit I realise I can achieve so much and so much more.
The run, regardless of location or time of day, it’s just for me.
I’ve always measured progress by time and distance. A faster race meant good progress, quicker 1km splits meant I was improving as a runner.
After taking a step back these past couple of months, I’m beginning to look at progress from a different perspective. Sure, I still want to run faster and stronger, I want to get to a sub 45 min 10km, I want to run a marathon in 3:30 one day and maybe even finish in the top ten of my age group in the sprint triathlon and the half Ironman distance.
It’s not how I want to measure my progress though.
It’s easy to sign up for a race and do it. The harder part is sticking to a plan for three to six months and giving it your all. But I don’t want my running and tri-ing to be just about that number at the finish line. I want more.
My first point of call is to be an injury free runner. I’ve had issues with my knees and these issues won’t going overnight but eventually they will get better and maybe at some point they’ll go away. Cross training, stretching and recovery are the keys to that. Until now, I’ve been a careless runner not really considering the consequences. Thinking that these things can’t happen to me. Well, they can and they are, so it’s time to give myself a kick in the backside and look for a different type of progress.
The progress I’m after at the moment is finding balance. I want to grow as a runner and be more committed to my training and racing. I want to run full time without the breaks in between. I want to commit to a proper 8 week plan to run an awesome 5km. I want to spend four months training for a marathon to drop below four hours and finish strong. I want to build full body strength and flexibility to support my body.
My progress will be the long term commitment I make. Rain, hail or shine. I’m gonna run and tri.
