Runner’s High: Reflecting on Runs in ‘22
When I was young I was fascinated by races, every year I’d give my best shot to make it to sports day sprint races. Little did I know then, running long distances would eventually become a hobby for me. I remember how failing at those races made me feel self-deprived, though looking back to last year I’m glad that I ran 400 km in total. The year has been overwhelming with a lot of ‘first’ experiences, travel, and lifestyle changes but running served as my escape and form of rehabilitation.
In this blog, I try to visualize the data of my various runs logged on Strava. I can’t thank enough Strava for providing me a platform to connect with a community of local athletes, and tracking runs statistics — which kept me motivated enough.
At the start of 2022, I had two goals to achieve towards running —
- Complete 500km in the total distance on runs, an ambitious goal of 780km. I had chosen this thinking even if I run 15km/week I can easily achieve it and considering some irregularity I reduced it to 500km.
- Reach a 5:30min/km average pace for a 5km run. I thought it reflects a state of fitness and I could push myself to achieve it.
I went on around 90 runs in 2022, with a mindset of not running less than 5 km on a single run. When I started off the year it was an activity hard to adhere to but I kept at it. There were days with shin pain, calf pain, and extreme temperatures (reaching 40ºC) but pushing myself at those times helped me remain consistent and come out strong. Today, running 5km has become basic, and building upon that is the next challenge.
There is an observable difference in the above two charts, both in the spread as well as the intensity—distance (reflected by the color shade). The only change I can think of when I reflect is the habit of making goals for ’22, which was lacking in ‘21.
March’22 was the most consistent month and I was able to manage a 6-week streak of 15 km/week. Just with that consistency, I was able to clock over 60km in a single month. Achieving small targets of a bigger goal does help it make easy, I could feel a positive energy and a sense of accomplishment at the end of each week.
From August onwards my days were filled with travel, adjusting to a new city, and cold weather due to which my running took a bad hit. I wouldn’t say fully but I’m satisfied with what I could achieve over the year. Improving my avg pace from over 6min/km to hitting below 5:30min/km and running a 10km long run for the first time was very fulfilling.
In addition to logging my runs, I loved how I could add a picture as the cover for that run. I would eventually share that cover on Instagram with running stats, which indirectly acted as a hook for me and fed my passion for photography.
Some practices that worked well for me —
- Logging runs — Strava, Fitbit
- Running on alternate days or taking at least a day’s break
- Setting a larger goal, breaking it into smaller targets
- Good Shoes — I didn’t bargain on this, and wouldn’t recommend either
- Creating a hook — pictures/sharing on Instagram worked for me
- Reviewing runs — I used to find patches where I tend to get slow
- Running with a group — helps you keep a consistent pace
I don’t run just for being fit, it is always more than that. It gives me a chance to view the city from a different perspective, to venture out more frequently, seek some ‘aha’ moments to capture, meet new people, and feel accomplished. While I’m running, I constantly have an internal dialogue that eventually turns into a form of meditation for me. It's similar to how Haruki Murakami has beautifully captured his thoughts on running in his novel — ‘What I talk about when I talk about running’. Do give it a read sometime.
Looking forward to an exciting 2023!
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