- I learned that it's better to take running day by day and to not plan too far in advance. For others, this may not work, but for me, it's definitely a better approach to take. After my first 5k back in years, I got all excited and mapped out my next two years of running. I'm already off the plan. I'd rather have some ideas constantly floating around in my head to work with and imagine and then make a final decision closer to the event's time. This also leaves more flexibility for mishaps such as injury. For 2011, I have quite a few different ideas up there :)
- I learned that I'm not fast because I haven't been able to build miles consistently (yet) and because I have a lower tolerance for pain. December was a pretty consistent month though (20-25 miles a week, easy, and pain free). I hope to carry this into 2011 and continue to build.
- Likewise, I learned how to tolerate a lot more pain this year through the use of Biofeedback. Yesterday I ran a New Year's eve 5k and while the results were nothing spectacular (23:08) I did try to push as hard as I could. The first two miles were well on PR pace and I'm not even in shape! However, the last mile resulted in a side cramp. There are many types of pain a runner can experience when going fast: Fatigue, breathing fast, leg cramps, side stitches, etc. I mainly focused on pushing through fatigue this year. With yesterday's experience, I can now add trying to push through a side stitch the next time I race.
- I learned to view any races that I do right now as training runs, that way expectations aren't as high, every race is a learning experience, and growth is inevitable.
and...
- I learned how to work through an injury, which still often lingers. With my foot, I learned that a lot of its problems are biomechanical and so I must try to transfer some of my Biofeedback techniques to analyzing my running form and making minor adjustments each time.
Happy New Year!
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