a machine built to run

Nicky is now on her last few days and then she will have completed her 40 days running a mile each day for Lent. She is wondering whether to keep it going after her 40 days.

I've now done 85 days, or 138 miles, or 26 hours of running. I'm looking forward to next Thursday when hopefully I will be starting month 4 of running a mile each day.

I'm beginning to get itchy feet again to increase my running or to commit to a new challenge. It occurred to me that the marathons that I have run in the past all seem to have been triggers for other significant events opening up in my life. Once that thought entered my head it feels like I may be on a slippery slope.

The title I thought of for today's post comes from yet another quote from Christopher McDougall's "Born To Run". The full quote goes something like, "we're a machine built to run - and the machine never wears out. You don't stop running because you get old... you get old because you stop running."

Interesting!

Cut the fat, cut cancer risk

Did three and a half miles this morning, for the first time in 10 days. I really enjoyed it.

It's also been great bombing round T Wells on my bicycle today going to coaching sessions, and a school governors' meeting this afternoon. It was so warm I only needed a shirt and a gilet, which was great.

Another "Born To Run" quote today is "one in seven cancer deaths is caused by by excess body fat" according to Dr. Robert Weinberg, a professor of cancer research at MIT and discoverer of the first tumor-suppressor gene. "The math is stark: cut the fat, and cut your cancer risk."

Now I know that this applies largely to diet, but exercise will also play a huge part in reducing body fat.

New Facebook page

After struggling a little working out how to do it, I eventually managed to get a new Facebook page up - "Run a mile each day".

Completed day 75 of a mile each day this morning.

When the weather's like this sometimes it seems a shame to go so early and miss the warmth of the sun, but it does work so well to get the day off to a great start. Running later would somehow be trickier in helping the rest of the day flow.

Another couple of quotes from "Born To Run" - "Nearly all runners do their slow runs too fast and their fast runs too slow... So they're just training their bodies to burn sugar, which is the last thing a distance runner wants."

The second quote is "The way to activate your fat-burning furnace is by staying below your aerobic threshold - your hard-breathing point..."

So that seems to confirm that my running with Nicky, below my aerobic threshold, is actually good for me. Not that I would consider myself a distance runner at this point in time!

Everyone is built for running

Great weekend with lots of great family connecting, a very early run (6.15 on Saturday morning), a beautiful sunny and pretty warm one (Sunday at 8.40), and a sunny and not quite as warm one this morning, but still gorgeous.

I believe I'm at day 74 now, and I can happily say that all is well.

2 great quotes from "Born To Run" today. "Everyone is built for running", and "You don't stop running because you get old... You get old because you stop running."

I agree with the philosophies expressed in both of these quotes but I also realise that some may not agree with me.

Just got to the bit in "A Little Run Around the World" where Rosie is leaving Siberia for Alaska after almost 2 years running and some incredible experiences.

8 weeks completed

It's Nicky's and my 15th anniversary today, so lunch out, and a glass or two of wine no doubt.

I have volunteered to be part of the support team for the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon this Sunday. Apparently, I will be in the sweep car picking up any runners who are struggling and need a lift to the finish, although hopefully everyone will make it to the finish and feel justifiably proud.

It will be great to see the inspirational Kelly Holmes again. She will be starting the race, and cheering people on. She's one amazing, and incredibly nice, lady!

Nicky asked me yesterday whether I'd be able to run the half marathon now. I haven't run anything like that distance for at least a couple of years, so the answer is probably not, at least without injuring myself.

However, I am starting to feel an urge to stretch my mile a bit further, maybe just every once in a while. I'm not sure why. I suppose half the fun of my mile each day challenge is that it's a challenge.

At the moment I'm in my comfort zone, and it's usually good to stretch that comfort zone. The trick is to stretch it whilst keeping my running easy, light, smooth and FUN!

““Think Easy, Light, Smooth, and Fast. You start with easy, because if that’s all you get, that’s not so bad. Then work on light. Make it effortless, like you don’t give a shit how high the hill is or how far you’ve got to go. When you’ve practiced that so long that you forget you’re practicing, you work on making it smooooooth. You won’t have to worry about the last one – you get those three, and you’ll be fast.” - excerpt from Born To Run