I have one more running day left in March. One more day until my goal of running three times a week for the duration of March is met. One more running day until I return to my usual cadence of twice a week at 5km, instead of the 6km I’ve been setting. One more day until my legs muscles stop feeling sore every single day.
Overall, it’s been a pretty fantastic month for running. By increasing my distance by one kilometre per run, and adding in a third, I’ve been able to significantly increase my consistency and the distance I can hit in a month. There were times where the month was difficult, though. For instance, there was a period where it was raining for about 12 days straight, which made conditions untenable for running. It was slippery, with uneven ground hidden by pools of water. While my time dipped on those days, it still felt good to go.
Each workout session took the exact same route. Some people might find this boring, but I do like being able to know exactly where I’m at in my run and how my pace is going compared to previous runs. It’s going to be a bit weird going back to the 5km, as I’m sure I’ve developed a habit and muscle memory of turning down one street instead of the other.
For my last run of the month, I’ll probably make it a bigger one. There’s no major kilometre goal I’m trying to hit here, but capping off the month with one final big push is going to feel pretty good. Plus, it’s going to be interesting to see whether my endurance has improved thanks to the distance increase. I’m thinking of aiming for the 10km mark, maybe even 12km if I’m feeling especially energized.
I don’t have any form of heart rate monitor like a Garmin or Apple Watch, but I do have a running app that is able to track my distance and speed. As you can see in the screenshot above, I’ve been able to hit 74.4km across 12 individual workouts with a total duration of 6 hours and 36 minutes. Apparently, the app estimates I’ve burned about 6,076 calories through exercise alone. Considering Australia uses kilojoules, I don’t know what this means.
If there’s one take away from this month-long endeavour, it’s that it feels good to have set a goal and worked towards achieving it. When it’s so easy to feel out of control of your life or what’s going on in the world, it’s great to feel in control of your body as your feet hit the ground and you push just a little bit harder to see what your body is capable of.
I don’t know what my goal will be for April. I don’t even know if I necessarily need a workout-focused goal or whether I need one at all. But I look forward to seeing how I continue to progress as a human on this spinning marble we call home.
