Why I run
I must grudgingly admit that I am a runner (of sorts). So this blog is to document my training progress and to reflect on the experience of being a runner in denial. I used to jokingly say that I would only run when chased, and quite honestly, I only took up running as a shortcut to fitness, and to prolong enjoyment of my primary sport, hiking. But about one year later and words and concepts like PB, as in, “I set a new PB on today’s 10k”; the wall, as in “After 18k I hit the wall”, or the bus, as in “think I’ll get on the sub 2h30 bus”, have crept into my daily vocab (see glossary below). Quite honestly, until recently I thought walls were things you painted and buses those bright yellow things carrying passengers. Enter the world of the runner, a species somehow different to the rest of you mere mortals. There is something satisfying about covering a long distance on your feet, a comfort in the monotony of pounding the tarmac with no particular aim, your headphones plugged in. Running, as sport, becomes a kind of metaphorical running away as it provides psychological relief from the stresses of the day. I have planned lectures while running, compiled grocery or mental to-do lists, pondered the global economic crisis or simply lost myself in nothing but the pounding of my heart and the smell of fresh air (ok, but only when running in the mountains). I've always enjoyed the intense high that comes after walking for 7-8hrs in the mountains, but discovered that I can simulate that same feeling with just 60 plus minutes of running.
The runner is a lone wolf. Tim Noakes describes the runner as someone with "an overwhelming desire for solitude, ...with typical patterns of mental behaviour that include daydreaming, absentmindedness, procrastination and an inability to make decisions". Spot on. I love to run in a crowd, surrounded by people but alone with my thoughts. And there’s also a certain cameraderie among runners which makes you feel like you're part of a secret club. The small talk (about running and races) at the start line. The faster runner who says ‘come on, let’s go’ when you’re flagging 2k from the finish line. I once got professional coaching and advice from the famous Hennie Vlok during a 15k race in which his chatter about his farming and experiences during the Comrades kept my mind off the race itself.
And then of course there’s the technology. What’s not to like about a system that allows your running shoe to communicate wirelessly with your ipod and to give you audio feedback about your pace and distance on demand? As if that were not good enough, the same system automatically downloads your data, stores all your runs, allows you to rate them and compare yourself to other runners around the world; and then automatically updates your facebook (or twitter) status as well. Hundreds of my more sedentary friends quietly curse me and refill their wine glasses while pondering whether to chop me off their friends lists when they log in and are told that “Tanja has run 10k at a pace of 6’30 min/km with a run that took 63 minutes” (my current 10k PB). Who cares, I’m the solitary lone wolf runner, remember;-) This system has also been referred to as the Hawthorne effect, in which people improve their behaviour (i.e. run more) because they're being observed (via the online running community).
Hiking is still my first love, but increasingly I find myself choosing running events on the weekend instead of the usual hikes (with a four-year old son I can't do both). Running has definitely made me a faster and fitter hiker, and I guess I'm addicted! The minute I finish a race, I start planning the next one. I started with 5k fun runs and am now working on improving my 21k time. If I had to tweet it I'd write 'hiking fantastic, running even better'. So watch this space for reflections on my training, races and the occasional hiking event (seeing that I'm not really a runner).
Glossary (for the non-runner)
PB or PR – personal best or personal record refers to your personal best time for completing a specific distance
Hitting the wall refers to that moment when a runner feels they cannot continue – in a marathon this is usually at 32k, the body’s supposed in-built limit
You run with a ‘bus’ if you intend to complete a race in a specific time. A pacesetter carrying a flag labelled with the desired time is the bus and leads a group of runners. Running with a sub 2h00 bus in a half-marathon (21.1k) means you hope to finish in under 2 hours.
The runner is a lone wolf. Tim Noakes describes the runner as someone with "an overwhelming desire for solitude, ...with typical patterns of mental behaviour that include daydreaming, absentmindedness, procrastination and an inability to make decisions". Spot on. I love to run in a crowd, surrounded by people but alone with my thoughts. And there’s also a certain cameraderie among runners which makes you feel like you're part of a secret club. The small talk (about running and races) at the start line. The faster runner who says ‘come on, let’s go’ when you’re flagging 2k from the finish line. I once got professional coaching and advice from the famous Hennie Vlok during a 15k race in which his chatter about his farming and experiences during the Comrades kept my mind off the race itself.
And then of course there’s the technology. What’s not to like about a system that allows your running shoe to communicate wirelessly with your ipod and to give you audio feedback about your pace and distance on demand? As if that were not good enough, the same system automatically downloads your data, stores all your runs, allows you to rate them and compare yourself to other runners around the world; and then automatically updates your facebook (or twitter) status as well. Hundreds of my more sedentary friends quietly curse me and refill their wine glasses while pondering whether to chop me off their friends lists when they log in and are told that “Tanja has run 10k at a pace of 6’30 min/km with a run that took 63 minutes” (my current 10k PB). Who cares, I’m the solitary lone wolf runner, remember;-) This system has also been referred to as the Hawthorne effect, in which people improve their behaviour (i.e. run more) because they're being observed (via the online running community).
Hiking is still my first love, but increasingly I find myself choosing running events on the weekend instead of the usual hikes (with a four-year old son I can't do both). Running has definitely made me a faster and fitter hiker, and I guess I'm addicted! The minute I finish a race, I start planning the next one. I started with 5k fun runs and am now working on improving my 21k time. If I had to tweet it I'd write 'hiking fantastic, running even better'. So watch this space for reflections on my training, races and the occasional hiking event (seeing that I'm not really a runner).
Glossary (for the non-runner)
PB or PR – personal best or personal record refers to your personal best time for completing a specific distance
Hitting the wall refers to that moment when a runner feels they cannot continue – in a marathon this is usually at 32k, the body’s supposed in-built limit
You run with a ‘bus’ if you intend to complete a race in a specific time. A pacesetter carrying a flag labelled with the desired time is the bus and leads a group of runners. Running with a sub 2h00 bus in a half-marathon (21.1k) means you hope to finish in under 2 hours.
