This should be a blog to myself - I should read it and learn - ha!
It is spring and there is plenty to do on my allotment (I am miles behind). The walk to my allotment plot from my garden gate is probably about 250 yards. A good bit of it is gentle uphill. From time to time I have to carry stuff from house to plot - and it is always the same. What starts off as light and manageable becomes a heavy burden within that short distance. I have learned to discipline myself and not try and carry too much otherwise I can start cursing - ha!
I am back in running training. One of my offspring gave me and entry in the London Vitality 10000 event being held on the late May Bank Holiday as a very thoughtful xmas present. I like to have something to focus on. It is a huge event that even has Sir Mo Farah running. What makes it special is the course - I have downloaded the outline below :-
The Vitality London 10,000 starts and finishes in St James’s Park and uses Green Park as its assembly area.
It is spring and there is plenty to do on my allotment (I am miles behind). The walk to my allotment plot from my garden gate is probably about 250 yards. A good bit of it is gentle uphill. From time to time I have to carry stuff from house to plot - and it is always the same. What starts off as light and manageable becomes a heavy burden within that short distance. I have learned to discipline myself and not try and carry too much otherwise I can start cursing - ha!
I am back in running training. One of my offspring gave me and entry in the London Vitality 10000 event being held on the late May Bank Holiday as a very thoughtful xmas present. I like to have something to focus on. It is a huge event that even has Sir Mo Farah running. What makes it special is the course - I have downloaded the outline below :-
The Vitality London 10,000 starts and finishes in St James’s Park and uses Green Park as its assembly area.
The race starts on The Mall and finishes on Spur Road opposite Buckingham Palace. Runners follow a clockwise route around the City of Westminster and the City of London. The course passes many of London’s famous sights including Admiralty Arch, Nelson’s Column, St Paul’s Cathedral, Mansion House, the Bank of England, the Old Bailey, Somerset House, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.
So I have been out jogging again and most of the time I love being out there. However it doesn't come easy because I am so slow. My stamina is pretty good I think - I can keep going - not least because it is mainly about mind over matter and I am ok with that - but my pace is back of the field stuff. While I am not really unduly bothered about it I would like the credibility of being a bit faster - ha!
Anyway I know what the main issue is (apart from age) - it is the allotment path effect! Deadweight and the cumulative effect of it ! I take my son James to his running club. All the keen distance runners are slim. I am not slim - lol - body shape what might generously be referred to as "stocky"!
I am not one for excuses - I am not giving myself an out - but the obvious is obvious - I do not have a long distance runners build - far from it! When it comes to distance running, muscle bulk is not helpful - fat obviously even less so - ha! When you look at sporting build - you can see for instance a massive difference between a sprinter and a distance runner. My sporting background is football and rugby and for the last I don't know how many years - squash. Like most squash players my legs are heavy with muscle developed from lunging, quick sharp movement and lots of turning. It doesn't help distance running. Good distance runners are pared-down - hanging as little body weight as possible on their skeleton frame.
With this in mind I was out running and started to think about the allotment path carry and running. If I had to carry a stone (14lbs) up the allotment path my back and arms would be aching. What would be the cumulative effect if it was 3 stone and what if it was over 10K (or the marathon I did) rather than a paltry 250 yards. The drains on energy needed to carry an extra 3 stone over 26 miles - for 5+ hours is absolutely enormous when you think about it. It is terrifying.
Clearly to be a good distance runner you need a distant runners shape. The more you run the more that should come about - but it is clear running is a specialist activity and probably does not sit that that well with playing other sports if you are really interested in getting good distant times.
While I am thinking about training and body shape - one thing that is definitely true - you cannot exercise yourself slim. I have always played sport and trained for it. I have always enjoyed my beer and grub and broadly have taken the view that as long as I exercise I do not have to be too concerned about food and drink consumption. It gives me licence to indulge. I have all my life fallen into this trap (if it is a trap) - a fallacy - even though I am aware of it. Certainly if you want to be a good distance runner you need to limit your calorie intake too!
Tis next day. Reflecting on above after another bike ride. I came up with this analogy. Two secondhand cars - same make and model - same age - identical mileage on the clock. However one of the cars had towed a heavy trailer all its working life! Which one would you buy?
Having said that of course being whippet slim is no guarantee of longevity or good health - obviously many factors come into play but if you are overweight it must be obvious your vital organs are under more strain - are having to work harder. It does make me think about carrying extra weight up that allotment path!
Now the pithy conclusion. I often think about lifestyle. I have mentioned Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs before. Needs - motivations can change. While I am not materialistic I do have quite a lot of stuff and things that need my time. It is a weight. How much do I need a lawn? Decluttering is a fashionable term. Minimalism is too. Life's journey would flow more readily - almost certainly be easier - if I was not carrying the cumulative impact and effect of a lot of stuff - my things. It would make sense to jettison some.
With this in mind I was out running and started to think about the allotment path carry and running. If I had to carry a stone (14lbs) up the allotment path my back and arms would be aching. What would be the cumulative effect if it was 3 stone and what if it was over 10K (or the marathon I did) rather than a paltry 250 yards. The drains on energy needed to carry an extra 3 stone over 26 miles - for 5+ hours is absolutely enormous when you think about it. It is terrifying.
Clearly to be a good distance runner you need a distant runners shape. The more you run the more that should come about - but it is clear running is a specialist activity and probably does not sit that that well with playing other sports if you are really interested in getting good distant times.
While I am thinking about training and body shape - one thing that is definitely true - you cannot exercise yourself slim. I have always played sport and trained for it. I have always enjoyed my beer and grub and broadly have taken the view that as long as I exercise I do not have to be too concerned about food and drink consumption. It gives me licence to indulge. I have all my life fallen into this trap (if it is a trap) - a fallacy - even though I am aware of it. Certainly if you want to be a good distance runner you need to limit your calorie intake too!
Tis next day. Reflecting on above after another bike ride. I came up with this analogy. Two secondhand cars - same make and model - same age - identical mileage on the clock. However one of the cars had towed a heavy trailer all its working life! Which one would you buy?
Having said that of course being whippet slim is no guarantee of longevity or good health - obviously many factors come into play but if you are overweight it must be obvious your vital organs are under more strain - are having to work harder. It does make me think about carrying extra weight up that allotment path!
Now the pithy conclusion. I often think about lifestyle. I have mentioned Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs before. Needs - motivations can change. While I am not materialistic I do have quite a lot of stuff and things that need my time. It is a weight. How much do I need a lawn? Decluttering is a fashionable term. Minimalism is too. Life's journey would flow more readily - almost certainly be easier - if I was not carrying the cumulative impact and effect of a lot of stuff - my things. It would make sense to jettison some.
No comments:
Post a Comment