Shifting Gears

This weekend we'll be going just a bit further...going for that first landmark...5 miles.  We'll start exactly the same way, same time, and we'll head north, but this time we'll go another half mile out.  We'll actually go underneath the Santa Monica pier ramp, and keep everything on the flats.  At some point, maybe next week, we'll actually go up the ramp...can hardly wait.


This week, I got both my weekday runs in.  I got out Tues, and this morning.  I have this loop I do around the lake in Silver Lake, and it's roughly a 4 mile door to door route. It involves a lot of down hill, but there are about 4 slight uphills too.  Two weeks ago, I could barely finish a loop, in fact there is a bit of a shortcut I can take, which I did, and I walked probably 4 times.  Now, because I've been doing this for a while, I do longer run durations than our 2/1 group pace.  I do this because I have to be able run and talk pretty much the entire session on Sat. so please don't feel you have to do this....I am a professional, do not try this at home.

Silver Lake today.... a bit foggy this morning.

Silver Lake - 1933...basically the same angle

But the point is that I still have to take several weeks, and that many runs to get my endurance back.  Just this morning I was able to do my entire route without walking breaks.  Now I wasn't going very fast, and I was pretty wiped out, but I was able to complete my route.  Again, I'm not in any way suggesting this for any of our runners, but this is what I need to do.

Now the important lesson here is that when I do these workouts, and depending on how I'm feeling that day, I know I have different speeds which I can go to.  Whether I'm running or walking, I have a slower pace, a normal pace, and even a bit faster one.  I know that it's okay to sometimes use my "deadman walk" after a tough uphill section, or that when I'm feeling better, I can push a bit and pick up my knees and take on that downhill section. The one thing I don't do is to come to a full stop, I keep moving, even if it requires a longer walk, however slow, I try and keep moving, till I get my breathing back...I shift to the gear I need, and use my different speeds, because I'm driving the bus, and I do what is necessary.

I was able to complete my loop in less time than last week, but that is because I did my two runs this week, and last week I only did one.  The time is ultimately not important, the issue is to be consistent and to keep up my workouts, because consistency is more important.  

So as we take on the 5 miles for this weekend, it's not how long it takes you to do it, but that you keep moving and do the distance, make use of your different speeds if necessary. It's only going to get better.


See you Sat,


Walt