Training Log: Bringing up to date

Posted on October 5, 2010

Last entry on the training log here was 12 September. Why the delay in a new entry?

Since 12 September the date for departure and commencement of the first run has changed four times. A appreciate this might have created some difficulty for people following how the 10 City Bridge Run is emerging. From my perspective, it heightened my awareness of difficulties encountered when looking to make change. Things rarely go to plan, and a flexible view that embraces disruption is important.

The date changes to the commencement date for the run (initially planned for 24 September, then moved to 1 October then 8 October, now commencing 14 October) occurred for a number of reasons, but the three principle factors were (initially) securing sufficient sponsorship to commence the journey, unexpected delays encountered through PayPal and more recently confirmation of host arrangement in Seoul. Before I commence the running, I must make sure I have optimal confidence in how this initiative will unfold. Running is as much mental as it is physical. Managing these delays give me reason to reflect on the expression “the loneliness of the long distance runner”.

As I finish this post I am listening to Matt Flannery from Kiva on live-stream speaking at SOCAP10 shortly after Jacqueline Novogratz. The bigger challenge this presents is how do I better draw upon all the resources that are available to me…the journey of the long distance runner need not be lonely! Extrapolating from this thought, when it comes to making change, the question we might reflect on is “how do we better draw upon all the resources available to us?”

Back to the training log: training continued during this period of delay. I extended my training program three times which was a welcome bonus to give more time for preparation and conditioning. I think that toward the end of September I had entered a phase of overtraining combined with less than sufficient stretching. This resulted in a reduction of range of movement in my ankles which created some discomfort when running. Pain is almost inevitable with running training- my sports medicine doctor who I consulted a few months earlier for a complaint on my left achilles said that pain management strategy was an integral part of training.  During the last period of date changes and delays, I was less enthusiastic about making posts about my training until I knew what date I was committed to running.

Ten days left until I start running.