It should come as no surprise that I’m all about improving myself. Whether it’s talking about gym feelings, how I want to increase my running pace, or even wanting to get better at skateboarding, I’m all about pushing my body further and trying to get the most out of what I’ve been given. To that end, I’m going to put my foot down and increase how far I run for the month of March – starting today.
Now, I’m not talking a drastic increase in distance every single time I hit the road, footpath, and running track. I’m talking about wanting to increase the tally for my end-of-month stats.
For February, I managed to get 40km (24.8 miles), which isn’t anything to sneeze at, but in October of 2020 I was able to clock 70km (43.5 miles). In saying that, October had one week where I ran every single day and actually logged my cooldown jog, which is typically 500 meters (546 yards).
The way I figure it, if I keep up my running routine of Tuesday/Thursday and then run one day on the weekend, in March I’ve got 13 running days, which gives me some nice rest days to let my legs recover. In terms of distance, 5km (3.1 miles) is a good starting point, but I might try increasing that to 6km (3.7 miles). That single kilometre difference means the end result is 78km (48.4 miles) – and an extra kilometre won’t feel as bad as having a 10km (6.2 miles) run once a week.
So what’s the point of all that? Well, my overarching goal is to significantly improve my base 5km time and pace. My PB currently sits at 24 minutes and 36 seconds, averaging 4:53 a kilometre. There’s only so much mental strength I have to push myself every single time I go for a run. I think a good way to shake it up is to set myself a distance goal and try and hit it. Not only is it a fun task, it might improve my endurance.
The next goal will be to hit that 100km (62.1 miles) in a month. Sure, I could just go for a bunch of 15km (9.3 miles) runs that eventually degrade into jogs right now, and this would certainly allow me to hit that 100km goal with ease, but it would come at the cost of time, pacing, and probably my ability to run every second day. Gradually increasing to that goal is probably the best long-term plan of attack.
Though the aim will be to hit 6km with every run, there may be a day that I’m able to belt out a 10km run or maybe even 12km (7.4 miles) if my legs allow me. This would certainly have me hitting that goal a bit faster, without risking too much.
How are you all going with your exercise and workout goals? I realize life in the ‘States doesn’t really allow for much safe outside time these days, especially given the hectic weather some of you have been experiencing. Hope you runners are staying safe. Take care of your knees!
