(Run Every Day in December)

For reasons I cannot particularly explain, I have decided to run every day in December. I’m up to day 8 and so far so good. Any run counts, but I have imposed a minimum of 1 mile (1600m) per day. Given that my C25K runs can be up to 5k in length (Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings) having that permission to scale things back on the days in-between is quite important.

Training is not where the benefits of exercise accumulate. It is the recovery periods between episodes of more intense exercise that allow the body to consolidate those efforts. Giving yourself permission to back off the intensity to allow those processes to occur is key. It is all too tempting to enjoy feeling so good as a result of your run that you go slightly bananas and head off on something that halts your progress in it’s tracks. Or worse, sends you back to square one.

Trusting the process means exactly that. Plans are devised so that you progressively stretch your capacites, in a programme that then allows you to derive greatest benefit. Any training plan for any sport should be shaped to allow this to happen. Failure to do so leads to overtraining, injury, complete loss of mojo or a combination of the three.

Equally, life has a habit of pulling blinders out of the closet. For various reasons, I have struggled to pull together a programme of running that I could stick to consistently. For many years now I have been a yo-yo runner. All keen and enthusiastic until that keeness results in going a bit too hard for a bit too long and ending back in the “can’t be bothered” zone. Consistency of activty is as important as recovery, Resisting the temptation to get carried away with it is critical to both.

Tomorow is an “effort” day. I will enjoy the process of pushing myself. Thursday is a recovery day. I shall enjoy the process of not pushing myself. I will look forward to reaping the rewards of consistent effort at the end of the process.

And I will trust the process!