As runners we all set ourselves targets; weekly mileage, race times, pacing strategies or even completing 100 parkruns. As a bunch we tend to be pretty realistic in our setting of these targets, or goals. In running, you very much get what you give. Through our training, and subsequent awareness of our own bodies, we can usually predict fairly accurately what we are capable of achieving. Perhaps this is also due, in part, to a fear of failure, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a runner predict something unattainable for themselves. In fact, I would suggest the reverse of this is true.
In 2009 when I ran the West Highland Way Race, I predicted my finish time would be about 19 hours. Some people thought I was being stupid, that I was overreaching, that after pushing the pace (pacepusher by name…) early in the day, I would blow up and the rest of the field would run past me with glee. I completed the race in 18 hours and 42 minutes flat. I knew from my training, from my experience and from knowing my body, that I was being realistic, even when others doubted me.
Also true of runners is that we are never content with our performances. We strive to attain our goals, and then promptly reset them. We break our sub 40 minute 10k target and then promptly start working towards a sub 39 minute time. I guess that’s what keeps us running. We all have that desire to improve, to train as hard as we can and to attain our latest targets. For me, with my sub three hour marathon achieved, my next target is sub 2 hours 55 minutes
Actually I’m still undecided about that. My coach has told me to aim for a sub 2:55, but I’m still deciding whether I believe I am capable of a sub 2:50. If I do decide to aim for 2:49:59, and I don’t attain it, I won’t consider it overreaching. If I believe I am capable of it, it will be based on my training and my performances prior to that day. That to me is not overreaching, but striving to be the very best that you can be.
Sometimes, it is not the act of training, or the race performance itself that leads to the assessment of overreaching. Sometimes, for some people, there are other things going on in our lives that affect our ability to reach our potential, no matter what we think we are capable of. Far too often, we don’t back down from our challenges in these situations. We push on in the hope that it will all work out and that we wont have wasted our weeks, months or even years of training.
Six weeks out from this year’s London Marathon, I was in great shape. I honestly believed that I would be going for a sub 2:50 marathon. Then one Thursday night I did a club training session. I took it relatively easily as I was running the Alloa Half marathon that weekend. I got home and started to feel unwell. The following morning I couldn’t get out of bed. That weekend I didn’t just miss the race, I also missed a family wedding. I had the flu, and I had it bad.
Fast forward to race day. I’ve struggled to get back into shape, my mileage has been greatly reduced and I’ve been given an inhaler by the doctor to try and resolve the wheezing I’m still suffering in my chest. Did I give up on my time? Not until about mile 10 of the race I didn’t. I should have lowered my expectations from the start. This was a case of overreaching due to illness affecting my ability to perform to my potential.
Last weekend we took a trip down to Liverpool for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon – a very well organised event with some great race bling!
The fact that we only returned home with one of these medals between the two of us, is the reason for the title of this blog post. The plan was that I would pace Mrs pacepusher round the course to a sub 3 hour 45 minute finish. This would be a fairly substantial PB for her, and perhaps more importantly, a ‘Good for Age’ entry for London next year. Again, this target was not overreaching, tough, but it was certainly attainable.
Within the first 2 miles I could hear that her breathing was laboured for such an early stage in the race, and she told me that her legs had, “got nothing”. I encouraged her to go easy up the hills (there were quite a few, it’s certainly not a flat course) and that we would make up the time on the flat and downhill sections. Unfortunately she just never got going and we were not making the time up, in fact we were slowing further. At about 11 miles Mrs pacepusher looked like she wanted to cry and her day had gone. She told me to go on, that she would try to run/walk the rest of the course.
I was like a dog that had just been let off the lead and ran on with the proverbial ears flapping and tongue hanging out! I had great fun and made it home in 3:27:25, continuously passing people all the way to the finish. I’ll class it as a great training run for The Rio Marathon in 6 weeks.
Mrs pacepusher didn’t have as much fun. In fact, she had none! You can read about it here, but basically, she struggled on for another half a mile or so, then took the decision that she would be better saving her legs for further training for Rio. With what would be almost 15 torturous miles remaining, this was probably the sensible option. I certainly can’t imagine attempting those last 4 miles into the wind when you were already broken. They were hard enough feeling comparatively fresh!
Overreaching? Yes. But not of her ability. Mrs pacepusher is a Head Teacher and as the end of the school year approaches, whilst Class Teachers begin to wind down, her stress levels go through the roof. Her work/life balance is non-existent and her running suffers. When she does run, she struggles to run well, unable to switch off from the stresses of her job. The overreaching on this occasion, was planning to run a marathon at this stage in the year. Adding a further stress to an already stressful period. She should, as she says, have switched her entry to the half (which she could have done even as late as the day before the race at registration) but as I stated earlier, we always hope that these external factors will somehow not affect us come race day. But they always do!
I’m lucky, running acts as my release. I can walk out of the door and for the time it takes, that run is all that matters. I don’t get stressed at the thought of heading out the door for a run, be it a track session or even a 20 mile long run. I don’t care too much what others think. I run. I run to the best of my ability. It’s my passion. For others, like Mrs pacepusher, their real passion lies in their work. That’s why they’re successful at it after all.
Running is a hobby for all of us that have failed to make it as a professional. How seriously we take it, how much time and effort we can afford it, is something we all have to address as individuals, and when setting our targets we must be careful not to overreach. Not in our abilities as runners, but within the schedule that life throws at us.
Reach for the stars folks, but maybe start with the ones that are closest to you!
Pacepusher's Weblog 