Run 15, 2010 …does your running really suck?

My running really sucks, but at least I suck way faster than I used to. Today’s pace was 7:26 per km over 12 km. I can’t say that the warmer temperatures (-10 for today’s run) are making me enjoy running outside in the winter any better.

I remember my first race ever when I ran a 10 km in about 1:20. Today, I can run a 10 km in 1:05. That’s a fifteen minute difference without me having lost any of my excess cargo. Actually, I have lost about 10 pounds since then, however I need to lose another 20 at least.

Which sort of brings me to my main point which is this: losing 5 minutes over 10 km to run it in under an hour may seem like a trivial amount of time to a non runner, but it actually takes an inordinate amount of effort to break that barrier. Even elite athlete runners work insanely hard to shave mere seconds off their time. Five minutes is a lifetime.

When one first begins running, it seems like hell on earth (said from the perspective of a non-athlete who hasn’t exercised in decades). After a while if you stick to it, you find that you make rapid gains in speed and distance initially until you hit your personal barrier when it seems impossible to get any better than you are. You reach a plateau and you can cruise there for years before you gain the experience to break that barrier. You identify that barrier and find ways to break it down, though it may take many months to do it. Barriers include trading weight for speed (which I am struggling with), dealing with persistent injuries, educating yourself on how to do it right, and I’m sure there are as many personal barriers as there are persons.

I’m wondering what personal barriers you all had to deal with or are struggling with right now?