Chapter 2
Running is an honest sport. To get better in running, there’s only one way to do it – to run. No pills, no magical foods, no hocus pocus.
Just run.
Putting in the mileage doesn’t guarantee success. You can have good days and bad days, and the reason for it is sometimes a mystery. But if you want to get better, you have to put in the mileage. There’s no such thing in running as a lucky swing, or a lucky shot.
I’m not saying people don’t cheat in track events or in marathons – it happens all too often. But take a look at a typical training plan – like this one from one of the sport’s training gurus, Hal Higdon. It’s a half-marathon plan for a first-timer. What do you notice?
You might see that are no shortcuts. There is a gradual buildup from the first week all the way through Week 12. No more than a 10% increase in mileage from week to week, to minimize the risk of injury. Lots of recovery time, with some variety thrown in. Even a basic Couch to 5k plan follows the same principle. Impatience puts you on the sideline.
The good news? You don’t need to be an athletic freak to do it. If you’re reasonably healthy and fit, it’s achievable. Listen to the coach, and follow the plan.
Plan your work, and work your plan.
A good principle for life, too.
My training this past week
Week 7 has been a good one. It started with an 11-miler while visiting relatives in Rhode Island, following a coastline road in Narragansett on a cool, but muggy and foggy morning. It was an out-and-back, and the only surprise was that the run back included a long, gradual, unrelenting uphill from miles 7-10. Somehow, I didn’t notice it was downhill on the way out! I really should pay more attention. Still, I finished it in 1:42, well ahead of my plan’s recommended 1:48.
Then there were two regular runs of 5 and 6 miles on the weekdays, back here in Virginia, at a good pace. Warm, muggy early mornings on my hilly home course. This morning I saw a fox dart across the road in front of me, the second one I’ve seen in the past month. A few weeks earlier, I saw a small red fox, carrying a dead mouse in its mouth, stop at my traffic light and crosswalk, look both ways, then scamper across the road. Smart fox! I don’t run with my phone, but those were times I wish I did.
The things you might see, when no else is one around, can make that 5:30 wakeup call very rewarding.
This coming Saturday, I have a 12-miler in Fairfax County. Maybe this time I’ll figure out how to use that Camelbak that I struggled with last week.
First Time Marathoner's Diary 