Running!
It is a part of our life. Mentally, we run away from responsibilities, we run away from people, we run away from promises or we run away from our fears. We all have work pressure, school stress or mental tension in our life. Running helps us overcome our mental tensions and boosts the brain power.
I used to feel running as a punishment, that I need to wake up early and go out in the cold. Slowly, I could see the change in my endurance levels. I was able to run a 3.1 mile race in about 28 min. That was my first runner up medal which motivated me to run more races and win first prize. Although, I did not follow a proper diet, I was able to get to 25 min/ 3.1 mile.
I took up the 100 mile in 30 days challenge mainly to motivate people around me and help them understand that, with hard work and dedication, anything is possible.
The first day was a cold, rainy Monday. I had an option to skip the run but I did not give up. I grabbed my old pair of running shoes and headed out in the rain showers. I started off with 8 mile pace. I was able to maintain the pace for 2 km but my heart rate went over 180 bpm and I had to slow down. Though the third Km was slow, the last 2 km were about 7 mile pace. Overall, the first day was a good running day.
It’s has been a week now. While, monitoring my runs, I found that my distance has been increasing everyday. I had to take a day off for the week, so I decided that my fifth day would be rest day. Resting your body to flex your muscles is very essential. Especially when you’re taking up these challenges. And so is stretching. Stretching at least 10 min before and of course after my every run helped me a lot. For a runner to increase their speed, long runs are to be followed. A long run is basically running long distance but at a slower pace. This should be as slow as you can get. The motive of this run is to keep your heart rate stable when high. This practice leads to a consistent heart rate and you wouldn’t go out of breath in between your runs and stop.
Overall, in my first week, I figured out that I need to have at least a 5k everyday, a long run, a speed run (2x10/2x8 use thread mill for better results) and a rest day for the week.
