Friday Ramble 09/02/22
This week: Big miles, bigger perspective. Plus a few recs to make summer running a little more comfortable and training data from the master.
During the month of August, I ran 255 miles. That’s an average of 8.22 miles per day, even with a minimum of two non-running recovery days per week. In all, that comes out to a little more than 11 miles per outing, or 57 miles per week.
Please don’t read those numbers as boasting. Once you reach your late 40s, you realize there’s no need for embellishment when facts tell the story better than you can.
While I’m not crowing, I am proud of those numbers and what they represent. For one thing, they mean that I’ve stayed healthy and motivated, which are the most important elements of a successful training block.
When I look back over the month in my log, I see more good days than mediocre ones. While there were certainly runs when I fell short of my goals, I also see transformational outings where I pushed myself beyond my perceived capacities.
In those brutally raw and honest moments, perched between self-doubt and confidence, I discovered that I really do have more to give than I previously imagined. Those experiences were revelatory.
Still, from a certain distance all that running feels like an insane amount because it’s far more than I’ve ever run in any month ever. At the same time, it also feels like a natural progression in my evolution as a runner. This didn’t happen overnight or over the course of a single training block.
There are a couple of reasons for this transformation starting with a smarter approach to training under Coach Avery’s tutelage. In addition, his plan wound up being far more challenging than anything I could come up with on my own. Maybe I could have done this without a coach, but I doubt it.
However, the biggest change has been perspective. What looked impossible on the training schedule now reads as doable, and what seemed out of reach now feels perfectly attainable. My perspective has grown considerably along with the additional mileage.
You don’t need to run mega distances to feel this way because perspective is entirely subjective. What feels like a challenging amount of training to you may seem crazy to someone else, or perfectly reasonable to another.
What matters is that you consistently make an effort to improve, wisely and with some common sense discretion, while allowing yourself the space to evolve along with your running. That’s how you run 255 miles, or whatever variable feels beyond your capacity.