I started training again. This isn’t a resolution or some such - just more consistency and purpose. I figured if I was going to keep identifying as a runner, I should actually embody that with proper habits.
The stumbling block since returning to Canada has always been winter. Getting out in subzero weather to run on ice and snow is a challenge I don’t enjoy, even after it’s over. When we lived in Stratford, I used to run to Victoria Row. Not a long run, but it was never really about the run - more about battling the elements.
What changed this year is that we invested in a treadmill, which ups the difficulty in a couple of ways. First, my balance sucks, and when I’m running on roads it’s easy to accommodate that. Not so much on a speeding belt. Second, it’s mind-numbingly bori…
I started training again. This isn’t a resolution or some such - just more consistency and purpose. I figured if I was going to keep identifying as a runner, I should actually embody that with proper habits.
The stumbling block since returning to Canada has always been winter. Getting out in subzero weather to run on ice and snow is a challenge I don’t enjoy, even after it’s over. When we lived in Stratford, I used to run to Victoria Row. Not a long run, but it was never really about the run - more about battling the elements.
What changed this year is that we invested in a treadmill, which ups the difficulty in a couple of ways. First, my balance sucks, and when I’m running on roads it’s easy to accommodate that. Not so much on a speeding belt. Second, it’s mind-numbingly boring. Where I’ve had to position it means I’m staring at an electrical panel for 45 minutes or more. I have an app that takes control of the treadmill and lets me run in, say, Lisbon - which is incredibly hilly, I found out - but my eyes can’t see the iPad screen at that distance. New glasses required. My bike erg is in front of our old 50" TV, so I get to ride in Singapore with crazy fit people while being in my office in Montague.
Training also means proper prep: strengthening my weaknesses and readying my parts for the run. I’ve been injured enough to know where many of my problems are. (Try doing any single-leg exercise and see if you have similar problems.) So I spend about 30 minutes every day addressing those. I thought of getting a personal trainer for an experienced external eye and reached out to Cayla Jardine-Hunter, who seems to have the right mix of personality and experience to help motivate. But before I could commit, I joined a group glute-strengthening session that meets every week for six weeks. Since I have no ass, maybe after a year of doing these I’ll not only improve my running - I’ll fill out a pair of pants better.
One of my goals is to run the Fredericton Marathon in May, and either an ultra in Kamloops or Saskatchewan in September (who knew that Saskatchewan had hills?). Sixteen weeks of training for each is a tidy way to bookend the effort. Mostly I just enjoy the process and its general effects on my mind and body.
I’m thankful I can devote the hours required to train again. Something I’d lost these past few years.