Over the years, I can honestly say that I have never had a training cycle quite like this one!
Yeah, I used an exclamation point for a reason.
Over the years I have been one of those haphazard training kind of runners, who depended more on natural ability than actually training. I did have a little ability, but don’t brag about it very often very often, since I have never been able to live up to the potential that some saw in me as a runner.
My issues were I seldom made a real effort to stick with a training plan when they got harder. Sometimes because the plans were too aggressive for where I actually was physically or mentally, I got bored with it, found something else that sparkled in my eye for the moment and led me down a different type of training rabbit hole or more likely I injured something – at least that would be my excuse.
However, if I am honest with myself and with that 20/20 hindsight – I was a chicken.
I was not willing to do the hard work that is necessary to run well and found or made up excuses to not run well.
Since January, I have been using the Hansons Half Marathon Training Plan and something has clicked within this old fart’s mind and body. While I haven’t been perfect about following the plan, I have followed it better than I have any other training in my entire running career, even though it is probably the hardest I have ever worked as a runner.
Guess what?
I am running better than I have in years – like since the mid 80s.
Even though during my glory days I might have run faster, but I know without a doubt that I didn’t work this hard.
No, I will never be a great or even good runner, I do not have that kind of drive, but I am showing myself that I can do more than I thought I would be able to at over 60 years old. Sometimes it just takes some of us longer to learn what we need to do versus finding excuses on why we can’t run better. Continue reading “Taking My Training to a Different Level – RunLog 3-14-19”
