New Goals and Runner’s Safety

A couple weeks ago, I talked about the end of summer and how this brought about new beginnings  I set new goals to increase my fitness levels and get back into my regular running routine.  So what have I done about it?  Well, if you are a runner, then you probably feel the same as me - I love to run, but any other form of fitness or exercise is a chore because I would rather be running.  Because of this attitude that I have, my upper body strength really suffers.  I basically haven’t done any upper body exercises or core strength exercises for about 1-1/2 years.  So three weeks ago I joined our community “Body Sculpt” class.  I am now running 4 times a week and attending 2 body sculpt classes and my daughter said to me the other day how great I was looking.  What a compliment, because she tends to be more critical than complimentary.  I can feel the strength and muscle in my upper body in just 3 short weeks.  My running is starting to also feel more effortless.  There hasn’t been a huge difference in my weight, but my shape and conditioning is feeling much better.

The motivation that I get from just feeling fit and running easier just inspires me to get up for that early morning run or attend my body sculpt classes.  I love the rewards from my regular exercise routine.  If you haven’t set any goals yet, I would like to encourage you to do so.  Your goal may be to lose weight.  This can also be achieved by incorporating a healthy eating plan and increasing in your exercise routine.

With the onset of autumn, I also wanted to bring up a different subject and that is the one of safety.  Since I usually do my run early in the morning, I’m noticing that it is getting darker and darker, especially on cloudy days.  This has reminded me to be aware of my running safety, so I also wanted to pass this reminder onto runners that do their runs at dawn or dusk - Make sure that you are running in clothing that you can be seen in!  Wear running apparel that has reflective strips and bright pale colours on them so that passing cars can see you clearly. If you don’t have reflective fitness apparel, then wear a reflective vest.  I cannot stress the importance of this.  Don’t be caught in the dark without reflection.

Run Faster

During my last couple runs I’ve had the opportunity to run with one of our city’s Marathon Clinic run leaders, who is also a friend of mine.  You see, normally I never get to run with him as he is just too darn fast (usually runs 6 minute miles), but he is recovering from a shoulder operation and is slowing building his running speed up again.  Even during his build phase, I am still under pressure to keep up with his pace.  So, although I may whine and complain, I love to run with him as I know that I need to have these runs at a quicker paceto improve my running speed.

This very topic has also brought up interesting conversations during our runs.  While I have been sucking air, he has been explaining to me the physics of running.  Basically, our runs and conversations have been a gentle reminder that, although I love running at my own pace and at my own comfort level, I will never improve doing that.  I will possibly even run slower as I am not getting any younger and my running speed has definitely seemed to slow over the years.  As he has been explaining to me that while it is important to get those speed runs in, whether is be intervals at the track or fartlek training, it is equally important to have a slow run day as well for recovery or ultimately you will get injured, which means - stop running while you recover. And nobody wants to do that.

So this post is just a gentle reminder that if you are looking to have a better run time and improve your pace, don’t forget to include some faster runs into your running schedule.  I have achieved this without even knowing by picking up with a run partner who is a faster pace, and the nice part about this is that he has been able to keep me motivated with stories during our runs.  Maybe you are self-motivated and can head to the track and work on your speed by timing your 1/4 mile intervals or else work to your heart rate monitor during your regular runs. Whatever way you do it, don’t forget to add a little speed!

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