Back To Basics

After missing the sound of the alarm early morning of yesterday, I thought I would not be able to do session three of my training comeback. But then, luck would have it that the Kobe Bryant event (thanks Nike and Ogilvy for this!) at the ULTRA will finish early and give me time to squeeze in one before the coaches gets busy with the Nike Clinic. 

back to training at last! me and coach joar at the ultra

I have been out of running training (and out of shape, as a matter-of-fact!) for several months now and have promised myself that once I return to doing it again, I would have to do so diligently. How? First, I have to decide on the time I will have to be at the ULTRA for training. Since work has been one of the major factors why I faltered during my previous training, I decided to schedule my sessions every five a.m., three days in a week. That means, I have to wake up not later than four in the morning for me to be able to arrive at the ULTRA by five. This seems to be a fool-proof schedule because (1) I wouldn’t have to worry if I have to stay at the office for an extended time, (2) I don’t have to fear being late for work because I have enough time left for me to go home, take a shower and prepare for work and (3) Training in the morning is a great way to jumpstart my day – I will feel refreshed and energized the whole day. Oh and to add to that, seldom does it rain on early mornings than it does at night.

Or so I thought! True, there were no rains (durin training at least), I haven’t been late for work because of this, I feel energized (hyper even!) after doing my first two morning sessions at the ULTRA and I can happily stay at an extended time at the office without having to worry and rush because I have to attend training. But boy, it’s the waking up at four a.m. or earlier that’s been the hardest challenge for me! Haven’t I mentioned several sentences up that I missed waking up on session number three?

Oh, but as I have psyched myself time and again, if you want it and you put your heart into it, there will always be a way. And so armed with that thought, I let the girl scout within me rule and prepared a set of running gear and stuffed it into my bag before I left for work. I will have to try and find time for training in the afternoon which I luckily did!

Training was practically a “back-to-basics” thing for me. Since I have been laid-off from training (and running per se) for an uncomfortable period of time already, Coach Joar concentrated on assessing my run – from my speed (or lack of it!), running form, foot strike, stride and the way I swing my arms. I have been doing it somewhat wrong all-over again! It’s high time really for me to correct all these of course. Hay!

I remember somebody asking me -  “Why do you train for running?”;  ” Do you train because you want to be an elite runner, one who competes and eventually wins in races?”; “Why would you need to train for running, isn’t it just as basic as walking?” – these and a lot of other questions some of which I just chose to answer with a smile.

I do running training because I have come to love running. Isn’t it that when you love doing something, it is but natural for you to want to learn how to do it right? And when you finally do it right, doesn’t it give you a certain high? Yep, running is a basic movement. Everybody from small children to senior citizens surely knows how to run. But then, I believe that there is a certain science to each basic movement that when you learn how to do and appreciate it, it will help you love what you are doing more. I am not aiming to be an elite runner, I just want to look good running. But if eventually I improve to be one, isn’t it a very sweet icing on the cake?

For now, I am working to be one who feels and looks good running. I am trying, for one, to get back my balance and flexibility which drastically dipped due to non-training. Eventually Coach Joar and I will try to work on my foot speed – because I tend to run in a very leisurely pace, everyone who runs with me will eventually end up sleeping, lol!

There are a lot of other things that I need to improve upon and I am hopeful that in time I will. Meanwhile, I really do hope that I improve to become an early morning person, one that wakes up to the sound of the alarm and her husband’s nudge to finally get up and prepare for the day ahead.

See you early mornings at the ULTRA folks!