.foXinternet - a bunch of stuff by tucola

Tuesday, January 18, 2005 :

Reading half marathon

I’ve been training for three weeks now. It seems to be going fairly well — I managed a relatively brisk 10 miles on Sunday and it felt pretty good. However, I am starting to dread the interval running sessions, starting from the night before I have to do one.

These sessions require you to run at 100% effort for a given time, followed by a recovery jog, repeated a number of times. They are supposed to build your speed and stretch the boundaries of your comfort zone. By definition, therefore, you have to train at a pace that is uncomfortably fast.

I was just derided for declining a 4 o’clock doughnut (in honour of someone’s birthday at work) on the basis that I am doing my speed session this evening. It has been suggested that I am losing perspective. This is supposed to be fun. Have a drink, mate. Have a cake.

However, I now know how hard a half–marathon is. The second time is always worse because you no longer have the naïve optimism born of ignorance as to how much it’s going to hurt.

posted by tucola @ 15:50

Comments:

You're right, speedwork does hurt. Sometimes it hurts a real lot. However the most pain I've ever been in has invariably been the result of a hangover, usually on a ski trip. Usually when drinking with bigger and better drinkers (AKA bankers/brokers). The standard hangover symptoms, combined with the high altitude and motion sickness brought on by skiing in a white-out combine to give a set of symptoms so virulent that they can only be mildly alleviated by frequent piste side trips to dry retch. So when you're fretting over your next set of 4 x 3 minutes of pain, think of your hangovers and you'll gain some perspective.

Remember, as some tosser once said to me, "Pain is momentary, glory is not just for Christmas." Or summat.

# posted by nickyg : 4:54 PM

Maybe by refusing the offer of a 4 o'clock doughnut, you unintentionally turned down the chance to join the birthday boy testing out his brand new Z4 in your office car-park?

Anyway, sounds like you are remembering the wise words of Jake in "Once were warriors" and not forgetting the speedwork.

# posted by Chrishola : 5:56 PM

So are you saying I shouldn't bother then? Surely playing two lacksadaisical footy games per week is sufficient training (more if you count the fact that you probably don't have to evade people trying to kick you the whole time in a half marathon). Let me know the Bobby and I'll decide whether to sign up.

Bandy

PS if real training is needed, I'll probably need to do it with someone otherwise I have a tendency to sack it off when I get slightly out of breath.

# posted by Anonymous : 7:26 PM

Sign up for it mate. You're a naturally fit bastard and will be fine. I was just talking about the training I believe I, myself, need to do, having experienced how hard a half-marathon is for me, personally.

# posted by tucola : 9:24 AM