Revenge on my walk of shame

Revenge on my walk of shame

Back in the beginning of the year, in early January, I published my walk of shame (here). That was a post regarding my lack of running and general decline on my fitness level that occurred during 2012. I wanted to put more cardio exercise on my daily routine. I wanted to change the disappointing graph regarding mileage during that year! And since yesterday was ‘World Heart Day’, I’m very happy and proud to say that I’m successfully progressing towards achieving that goal. 2013 rocks, it beats the crap out of 2012!

2012 running mileage

2013 YTD running mileage

During the month of September, I went outdoors and run 88.82 km (55.20 miles)! That’s a personal best for me. That number of miles might not be that impressive to some people, but it is for me. In the last 4 years since I started running outdoors, I've never achieved something like that. And the great part is that I want to keep going. I want to see how far I can go. Overall this year I've run outdoors 227.07 miles!

Running is like my personal therapy session. I love the feeling of achievement I get at the end of each run, at realising a goal I've set myself. I love being outdoors, exploring new neighbourhoods, getting a different perspective of things and leaving trivial troubles and nerves behind. Of course it’s not every time all fun and games. Running can be tough at times, painful and disappointing. However, every single one of these sessions, even the bad ones, has a meaning and is an accomplishment.

So, I think I’m all prepared for my ‘British Heart Foundation’ charity 10k run next Saturday. I admit I could have done more. I wanted to incorporate interval or hill training to my schedule and improve my overall pace / speed, but that’s fine. Unless something unexpected happens till then, I believe I’ll be able to finish the race.

And to challenge myself a bit more, I registered for a half marathon next March!!! The last half marathon I did was in Edinburgh in April 2011 (here). That race didn't go that well. It was hot and humid and even with JJ’s help, I walked a lot that day instead of running and struggled to finish. This time I plan to train more and finish the distance in style. I have some time to prepare. It might be a bit of a challenge training during the cold and wet months of the winter, but I hope I’ll be fine. My plan is to never stop. Like winter sea swimmers that keep on swimming through autumn to winter, I’ll keep on going to see what happens.

I only now have to find a proper training plan to follow during these months.