rikard.me/blog/017.txt                                Fri 25 Oct, 2024


                      Getting back into running


I used to run quite a bit 5-6 years ago, but for various reasons I
ended up quitting.  I think it was mainly because I focused on cycling
instead, but in hindsight I should have combined the two activities.

I got back into it recently on a bit of a fluke.  One day I just
decided to go for a run, and I've managed to stay consistent with it
for about three months now.  I went from running 20 minutes with some
effort, to now running 40-50 with effort to spare.  Some of the things
I think contributed to this:

 - I removed all arbitrary limitations I used to set for myself.

   I used to think that if I was going for a run, I had to start
   running the moment I stepped outside my door.  I don't like running
   on tarmac, so I just started taking my bike to the closest trail
   and now I run from there.

   I also used to think that every run had to be at full speed, full
   exertion.  It's still my goal, but if I feel I don't have the
   energy then I just take it chill that day.

 - I logged all of my runs in an activity tracker to keep myself
   accountable.  This is probably a basic thing, but the fact that I
   did this made me build running into a habit again.  I don't want to
   _not_ tick a box, you know.

 - I didn't over-extend when I started out.  I started with short
   runs, and over the course of 1-2 months increasingly made them
   longer.  I think I'm quite happy with the distance at the moment,
   and I'm mainly trying to improve my times.

 - I just focused on running.  I didn't have anything that measured my
   pace, the exact distances I ran, elevation, heart rate, max VO2,
   etc.  I literally just ran.  The only thing I tracked was when I
   started and ended a run.

   Only recently did I get a Garmin to track things, but I did this
   only when I felt it had become a habit; and I don't necessarily
   stare myself blind at the statistics it gives me.