It was a busy day, with some home related tasks, and estate agent meeting, but overall I did some useful stuff along the way, and I’m happy about this Saturday, especially that I managed to finish it off with another run.
I used to run regularly. Maybe not super consistent, but in good times I did 2-3 runs per week. I am no professional, nor even a good amateur runner. Just a casual one, with tendency to have a long gaps, just to spring back to the game and do something heavy. Not the best way to do things, so I committed myself to try and do it right this time.
My last run with wife made me think that I should use the spring time, and increasing daytime, to leverage and get to routine of running. Yes we do a lot of walks and hikes, but I need some good cardio since I crossed that magic number of 40 years.
Today I felt like running again, and one day break with proper recovery after Thursday’s run, fit the picture perfectly. For some reason I like running in the dark. Not only, but there’s something special about it. On one hand I probably have some emotional attachment to annual Run In The Dark competition and fundraiser, that I participate from time to time. On the other hand, when your senses are less loaded, after the sun sets, it makes it easier to focus on watching your body, and pace when you run. Not only I steer away from running with music or in fact any headphones at all, but adding the darkness to the equation makes it unique.
When you run in the dark, and without noise, you can properly focus on tempo, how you put your feet on the ground, the pace in breathing, and even feel your heartbeat. This is very important in running healthy. There are things that we miss when just doing the run without correct technique, and this is impacting our health long term. Wrong breathing, posture, position of legs and feet, all of that can damage our joints, heart and general wellbeing. Yes, running can become bad for you like anything else, when you do it wrong.
I focus now on educating myself more about it, and keep improving my mechanics, and breathing. Not to improve times, which probably will improve anyway over time, but to ensure that I improve my health and endurance.
I am not a fast runner. Maybe in sprint yes, I tend to have good body for an explosive start, and can run short but fast. Longer runs, that’s my nemesis, though the longer I run, the more I enjoy it. The key is to not focus on pace, but just moving, then I like it. I even completed couple of half-marathons which I thoroughly enjoyed in the past.
My last run with my wife was a 5k slow run in Murvagh. Today I decided to go around Donegal and see how I will feel around 3rd or 4th kilometre, and if I’m comfortable enough, to complete the same loop that I did for 2022 Run In The Dark, which is 10k.
I found along the way that indeed I have a good day and energy levels, and gradually took it further and went for the full loop. Seems like I actually even improved times on three segments, by a long shot in two cases, so it makes me motivated, especially that I wasn’t planning to speed up – just complete it.
I think that air humidity, temperature, and light drizzle plus freshness of it, made it slightly easier and better to run, hence the results.
I’ll take two days off now and recover properly, and retry shorter run on Tuesday.
Time for some refuel with AG1, plus some magnesium bisglycinate and vitamin C, topped with a good dose of collagen to support overnight recovery. While I don’t feel wear at all, maybe a bit in joints, but not much – I know it was quite a strain on my body, and it needs to rest now.
Blunt Force Healing 
Leave a Reply