Back to Back Century Months

 I completed my planned interval session this evening, some max effort 400m intervals along with the warm up and cool down it gave me a little over 8km.  I have now hit 109 miles for the month of November with five days still remaining and with a further four runs planned the total could go as high as 130 miles.  

I have now run a century of miles in 35 different months, but managing to string together a series of consecutive 100 mile months has proven more problematic.  There have only been three really significant chunks of training where I achieved this.

March 2014 - July 2014 - 5 months and a total of 553 miles, averaging 110 miles a month.

November 2014 - May 2015 - 7 months and a total of 944 miles, averaging almost 135 miles a month.

October 2016 - March 2017 - 6 months and a total of 846 miles, averaging 141 miles a month.

It is that last block of training that I will look to take inspiration from, and hope to better over the next six months plus.  Although the overall mileage might look something similar once I am done, the make up of the runs should be very different.  

That 2016-17 block contained 35 commutes, these were my 7.5 mile commutes home from Southend, a really time efficient way to get the miles in.  Work and family commitments now mean I have to be a little more creative with where I fit my sessions in and hour long run commutes are a luxury I don't have.

What I do have is the structure and intensity of Runna.  It is still early days but the number of quality sessions with a real focus to them is far in excess of any previous block of training.  I have managed to get the miles in through consistency, rarely falling below my four run minimum.  I have also done it without a true long run.  My 15km - 20km long runs would have been medium-long runs in days past.  I am hoping that as we hit 2026 the true long-runs will return as the marathon approaches.

It is all building nicely, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.   I've now got a base to build from, and as long as I remain free of injury I can continue to gradually increase the mileage.   In addition to my core four runs a week I am trying to make a short easy lunchtime run a regular fifth run of the week.

Included in that 2016-17 block were two of my PB's which still remain today.  My 10 mile PB of 1:10:39 run at the Test Track 10 in February 2017 and my 20 Mile PB from the Essex 20 in March 2017 of 2:36:24.  I'd love to better that 20 mile time in 2026 and will have the chance to try in March at the Essex 20.  The 10 mile attempt will have to wait a good bit longer, the next race at that distance is currently the Great South Run in October next year.  I could potentially be on a run of 12 consecutive 100 mile months by then and that level of graft surely deserves a new PB.

I'll try to keep myself in the present and just focus on each session as it comes, but it's nice to have some longer term goals as well.  We can add a PB target at the London Marathon to the wish list.

Running and Life Lessons

I have been running for in excess of 16 years from that first three mile run on 2nd May 2009 until last nights brutal interval session.  I should hit 10,000 miles of running in early 2026.  In that time I have learnt somethings, and I thought I would share them with you now.

Know yourself

I live with myself and my thoughts 24/7, 365, I know what rev's my engine, I know the buttons to push, the good and the bad ones.  This is the real you, not the parts you show to the outside world, not the work persona you exhibit to others.  It is the real, unvarnished you when you're in bed alone with your thoughts.

Once you are dialled into that you can tailor your goals, your strategy, your motivation around what works for you.  There is no one size fits all, it has to work for you and there has to be buy in from you.  Once you have that deep understanding of yourself, the rest follows.  

Your Why

This is the foundation on which the rest is built.  If your why is small or weak this thing collapses fast.  My biggest why is a sub three hour marathon.  That is a big scary goal, and one that may eventually prove unobtainable so I've got smaller backup whys.  I get out to run to aid in weight loss/ allowing me to eat bad food.  I do it to push myself.  I do it for some time by myself, to clear my head and think of nothing but propelling myself forward, particularly on those full effort sessions.

Try and make your why a positive one.  Negative whys aren't nearly as much fun or as effective.  I hate my body I want to workout so it changes, doesn't have you leaping out of bed.  Make your why I love my life and I want to live it fully, exercise will allow me to do that.

Your why can change.  If I ever achieve my sub 3 hour marathon dream I have the next goal lined up.  I can revisit the Ironman distance and do myself justice, I can tackle LEJOG on the bike in a week.  If I miss my sub 3 hour goal and age means it is no longer realistic I can pivot to another running goal if I need to.

Enjoy What You Do

You don't like running? Don't run.  Your exercise time is taking precious time out of your leisure and life budget.  A budget that is already tight given work, family and life commitments.  Ideally find a sport/fitness/wellness thing that you have a passion for, but if not a passion at least some enjoyment.  When working out is a chore find a different kind of workout.

Goal Setting

I enjoy listening to motivational speeches on my run and have a near 20 hour playlist, they warrant a blog of their own.  It isn't all gold, I'm too cynical to swallow everything they try to sell me.  Here are a couple that get my goat.

Impossible is nothing - It definitely is something.  No man or woman will run 100m in under 5 seconds without a jet pack or other cheat in my lifetime.  Oh don't be silly, that's not realistic.  Ok, so we agree that there is impossible, we just disagree on where to draw the line.

If just one person has done it, it proves it's possible for you - No it doesn't, you can't tell a 50 year old man that he is going to run the 100m in under 10 seconds.  Maybe in his prime he may have achieved it if he'd dedicated his life to it, but that ship has sailed.

Those two examples aren't designed to depress you, but just to focus your goal setting.  the SMART guy had it right.  Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.  Emphasis on achievable, sure we want to stretch ourselves but telling everyone they can be winners is setting people up for disappointment and failure, and what follows that is often quitting.

This blog is just a collection of my thoughts, but if I was aiming this at anyone it would be the ever day person just looking to get fit and challenge themselves whilst remaining engaged and motivated.  Realistic goal setting is a big part of making that work.

Take Responsibility 

We are all a product of our circumstances.  I have been fortunate in a lot of ways, living in the country that I do, in a loving middle class family, only experiencing loss when those I loved had enjoyed long well lived lives.  Others endure much more testing lives, whilst some have enjoyed privilege and opportunities I can only dream of.

Whatever your circumstances use those as your fire.   You've had nothing, use that as your drive to get out of there and never come back.  You've had opportunities and support, people will say you've had it handed to you, use that as your fuel to prove to them that you can reach higher than they ever believed.

You also need to put your circumstances in a box and concentrate on those things that you can control.  If we bring it back to fitness I'm in my early forties, have I lost my peak, is my maximum potential already in the rearview mirror? Perhaps, but I've made the choices I've made.  I still believe I can turn back the clock and beat all of my previous PB's.  Maybe I do hit my A goal of a sub 3 hour marathon and run a 2:58, if I had found this drive and motivation a decade earlier could I have gone sub 2:50? No good can come of that thinking, accept where you are right now and take responsibility for taking yourself to where you want to be.

The Race is Long

"The race is long and in the end it's only with yourself."Baz Luhrmann had it right in a lot of ways with Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) but that lyric is the best of the lot.  Comparing yourself to others is tiring and in the end is futile.  You'll chase down that one person and soon find another to pursue.  Focus on you and your progress.  

Specific goals are great, be that my sub 3 hour marathon.  I achieve it, you won't find a happier person on this planet than me.  Fail, but having given my total focus to it for a block of 12 months, two years, five years.  You can feel the satisfaction that you gave your all.

Conclusion

Apologies if this comes across as preachy.  It was just a collection of my thoughts.  I believe we are all individuals, there is no definitive way of doing things that works for everyone but this blog covers the things that work for me.

• Know yourself
• Have a massive why.
• Enjoy what you do.
• Set goals that stretch you but aren't insane.
• Take responsibility.
• You only get one go at this.
• Concentrate on yourself, not how you compare to others.