October 2019.
At the Chicago marathon… I did it, I finally broke the 2:40 barrier that had haunted me since 2015. 2:39 and 50 seconds. By far, my greatest success in running so far. After running more than 5000 km in less than 10 months, I managed to reach my goal and I immediately felt like the king of the world.
November 2019…
It's calm and almost nothing on the counter. I run very unofficially. If I want to put on my running shoes, I do, but it results in very inconclusive weeks. I have no problem with that. This is what I wanted, well deserved rest.
December 2019…
The story repeats itself. I lack motivation to put on my shoes. I am tired, I feel heavy and lack of energy after only a few kilometers at low speed. I wonder how I managed to run 42km at 3'47 '' per kilo. While there, I feel exhausted from running at 6 per kilo for 5-6 kilometers. I don't worry about that because it's the best time to feel like that and in perfect harmony with my annual planning.
January 2020…
I delicately increase my volume. I still feel heavy and much slower than in October, but I tell myself that if I go slowly, the body will find good sensations in a few weeks. There's no point in wanting to run fast, or even trying to do long intervals. I know that speed will come back and I prefer, for the moment, to solidify my bone, ligament and tendon structures by being patient and gentle with my body. It is this wisdom that will allow me to experience another great season without major boo-boos.
February 2020…
I continue on my momentum and I continue to increase my volume. I advance to 6 per kilo, I still do not put pressure with the sets of speeds (interval training). I know that I gain by running slowly and that allows me to increase the distances and the training frequencies. By the same token, I avoid damaging my body by inflicting too much intensity at the start of the season. I will allow myself to slightly lower my volume next week to possibly insert a little more intensity and speed difference. I don't feel rushed at all, but I have to be aware that the season is going on and events are approaching.
It's hard for everyone to run in winter. It's cold, the days are short, the roads are snowy, the wind is sometimes freezing, but you have to find a way to motivate yourself to put on your running shoes. In my opinion, almost all the ways are good to incite to deposit a few kilometers. Run to work, run errands, buy a treadmill, go indoor or to the gym, or even run when the weather is cooler outside.
The objective at this time is not performance. All top athletes have an annual calendar that includes rest periods. For most of us, it is in the fall that we must reach our full potential, not in March. Right now, we want to give rest to our body with low intensity workouts. Especially since it is much easier to find the motivation to run in winter conditions when you know that a relatively easy session awaits us. 😊
I leave you, I put my shoes on and I run.
