I believe a personal level of acceptance (Read Previous Post
- Why
I don't love Running) has helped me understand and look at the concept of
'running' in a completely different way. It is nothing complex, just that I feel
a lot freer whenever I run, jog or sometimes 'waun' (walk+run).
All along I wondered - why conform to the norms of training?
Though I never took any active measures to really ponder as to what or how I
wanted to run. Now.. i want to know more.
I realise the importance of training to suit my body type
and to get better with time. I had some ideas and also reading perspectives, life
stories of runners helped me to get few ideas on various elements associating
with running. However, it is important to start testing those perspectives one
by one. I ran, ran from time to time before realising, I was not enjoying it.
Instead of holding on to it tightly, I thought about rediscovering the touch by
starting from the scratch.
Most would know instinctively, what's möglich and what
isn't? It is a matter of effort and it might involve some time (proportional to
effort) to trust those instincts and enjoy the process of training. Be it
anything, just work out a pattern. Here's what I did:
When I realised I could make use of treadmill to train
myself (I hated it before), I was clear as to why I never fancied myself training
on a treadmill before. It's simple - I never gave time to the nuances of
treadmill training and instead preferred running outside, where I could control
speeds and choose roads at will.
Now, I still love running outside but what's changed is that
- I do not mind using treadmills. Acclimatising to ever changing seasonal weather
also helped me to decide to give treadmill a go.
Ok, coming back to the pattern. This technique is a work in
progress. More work has been done and so I can comment on the progress I have
had so far. Have a target time and commit to engage yourself on the treadmill -
it helped me to define a direction because it was a personal project.
I would suggest 'music' helps - but it masks the feelings
you undergo during this process of training. I prefer to hear my feelings out during
training and focus on achieving a zone where I just run, oblivious to what's
happening around me. Again, choose the method that aids you to train better! To
me, I get a lot of ideas if I listen to my thoughts on how to make this process
of training better.
Start by selecting a basic walking speed, a factor which indicates
the km/h or miles/h. When you start to feel comfortable walking, shake up the
order - plan to move outside your comfort zone gradually.
I devised a test on myself to simulate the outdoor running
conditions at will. No, it isn't the 3D views of my surroundings! I constantly
increase the speed by 0.1 km/h every 30 seconds. I start my training with - say
7 km/h (again this is my comfort zone). A gentle walk for about a minute or two
and then I start jogging. The moment I start to jog, I increase the speed by a
factor of 0.1 and continue this trend every 30 seconds. Now, my concentration
is focussed for those 30s and multiply into as many intervals as you can. My
target is not to run more than 5km at any point in time. Start at some speed,
run, walk, jog for some time and track your progress.
We all love change for the better. The tougher part is the
path. I believe humans are creatures of evolution and not revolution in the
long run. So keeping this in mind, my training involves a gradual increase of
speed. It does not harm you and will only improve your fitness levels and more
importantly the confidence levels. Who doesn't want to feel better? This method
of training is one such way of creating 'those feel good factors' within you.
And why am I doing this? I believe in testing my abilities
and move towards excellence if not perfection during my lifetime. So I pick up
hobbies (trial and error), habits that trigger my brain, fuels my creativity
and test my limits. I love experimenting in something I fancy or have an
inclination for shaking up the norms from time to time.
