Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
I’m unusually excited about next week’s weather forecast. Not because I have outdoor plans. Not because we’re having a picnic. I’m excited because the morning temperatures finally look like something designed for running rather than slow roasting.
Tomorrow, the temperature may not even climb above 70°F before I finish my run. After spending much of the summer running through Nashville’s heat and humidity, that sounds almost luxurious. Naturally, I’m hoping the cooler weather will translate into more speed.
I still have about 30 seconds of pace time to eliminate before reaching my speed goal for the year. Progress toward that goal has slowed considerably over the summer, but that wasn’t entirely unexpected. There is only so much speed I can demand from my legs while running through air that occasionally feels more appropriate for growing tropical plants. Summer has mostly been about maintaining my fitness and running consistently. Now, with cooler mornings approaching, I’m hoping I can start pushing for speed again.
Interestingly, though, one of the most encouraging signs of my progress came from one of my worst runs. Last week, I developed that mysterious heel pain. I attempted to run anyway, hoping the discomfort would disappear once I started moving. Instead, I ended up half limping along the trail before finally abandoning the run. It was certainly not a performance I would normally celebrate. Then I looked at the numbers.
Even while moving much slower than usual, and with one foot clearly objecting to the entire activity, I was still running faster than I had three years ago. That surprised me. It also gave me some perspective.
When you focus constantly on the next target, it is easy to overlook how much progress you’ve already made. My current definition of a “bad run” would once have qualified as a very good one. That’s worth remembering.
I still want those remaining 30 seconds. I still intend to keep working toward my speed goal. And when the weather finally cools down, I hope I’ll start chipping away at that number again. But whether I reach it next week, next month, or a little later doesn’t change what I’ve already accomplished.
Three years ago, I was trying to become the runner I am today. Today, I’m trying to become a faster version of that runner.
Sometimes progress becomes much easier to see when you stop looking at the runner ten seconds ahead of you and turn around to look at the runner three years behind.