The When, The How, The What for

I need to get my running mileage up. Thats it. No two ways about it. I have slacked off plenty since the big Mumbai marathon party, and the time has come. The list of excuses is long, and ever growing:

• Ankle twist
• Weird Plantar like pain
• Child's swimming class
• Husband's gymming sessions
• Traveling
• Partying
• Weather sucks
• Oh my period!

But these are not new. Everyone knows this stuff. I know all of this. I definitely fully expect all these things. I live in Chennai. The city is not going to get air-conditioned. My ankle ligaments are torn/strained/non-existent for the past 20 years. Plantar & ITB are a runner's best friends. The child and husband are not stay-at-home sleepy folks - they are active and crazy and I love them for it. I haven't even travelled or partied over-much. In fact, I have stuck to my resolutions on the party front very well indeed. And about the last thing? Well, I had whole posts planned but somehow not moved it past the drafts. A period is no reason to not run. In fact, I have run most of my half marathons while having a period in various stages. I would infinitely prefer to not have my period during a race, in fact, I would prefer not having the damn thing at all, but it has been a part of my life for so many years now. It can hardly be the excuse for not stepping out for an hour. 

The When:

I need to get a rhythm going. I was running Tue-Wed-Thu-Sat during Mumbai training. I cannot run Tue-Thu any more as those are swimming days. But that is good. I can totally run Wed-Fri-Sun and make up the mileage. I never do intervals/tempo/speed etc. workouts anyway. So it is real easy. Wed-Fri are peaceful 12km run days, and Sunday is the monster long run. Super easy. Sunday is a long swim session for child so she is unlikely to miss or need me, at any rate!

The How:

One foot in front of another. Thats how.

The What for:

Well, yes. I hear you, you stupid voice. I am a middle-aged (like hell. I am reaching old age already. Been middle-aged for nearly a decade now!). A has-been. Mommy-fat-hobby-jogger. I am unlikely to break into any big leagues. In fact, I am more likely to injure myself with the thought of the big league. But that doesn't matter. I need to keep my running mileage up because thats what I do. My next race might be months away now (September), but it will soon be close. I may not win any prizes. But I am sure as hell going to aim to finish strong. I do my share of core, and strength, and weight workouts these days, because its good to have all this in the mix. Also, I swim now. But at the end, what I do is run. In my long life I have been a basketball player, a long jumper, a shot-putter, a soccer player, all with varying degrees of ineptitude, but all through, I have been a runner. And thats at the center of everything now as well. 

The 136kms I have run in the past six weeks? Is just too damn depressing. No, I am not going to Pam Reid it up by running the remainder 164kms of my goal starting now and ending day after tomorrow, setting a record and having local media click pics while at it. No. I am going to do my best tomorrow, in a real long run, and then re-negotiate my goals...

This.. ain't going to cut it...