Consistency over Competition

 

Have I said everything I can say about running? 

Not a chance. 

In the early days of my blog I focused on things like health and fitness, injury and advancement. I’d list the distances and the increasing running load. I’d mention breathing, water and how the cold affects the lungs in January versus October. The weather is always a concern, it determines so much about the run. But jogging year round makes one flexible to extremes.

I’m at a point where I run less throughout the week but with more consistency.

 Here’s what I mean. When training for a race I stay on a schedule. That schedule usually demands 3 to 4 days a week with increasing difficulty. I run hills for a day and then flat ground, up the distance and the pace after a month. I only ever did a couple of half marathons so my training load wasn’t crazy. But sticking to a schedule is important to build muscle and endurance for race day.

But I never wanted to race and quit. It’s more important to develop a regular pattern for staying in shape. I choose running first but not only. I use the stationary bike and the stair climber at the gym. It breaks up the boredom of jogging at the same pace and exercises different muscle groups. Besides, I’m not as competitive as many of my friends.

 I like to compete with myself and show improvement over time, but it’s less important that getting up every day and putting in work. I don’t want to lose my drive to stay fit. It’s too easy. Life can get busy and unless it’s a priority it quickly goes away. We often put too much emphasis on the competitive nature of whatever we are doing. Who is the best? What’s my time? How’s my average?

These might keep you going for a while but quickly fade in importance. Only the most competitive stay at the top and push themselves past age and injury. For most of us consistency is a more achievable goal. That’s where I’m at right now. And No, this isn’t an excuse to explain why I haven’t done races for 2 years. But there is a nagging assumption (in my head) that not increasing is actually decreasing.

Let me explain. In business if you don’t grow you die. No company that expects to grow can say “No more accounts please we’ve got enough”. You don’t turn away business. You add staff, buy more machines, invest in better software and streamline where possible. It’s the nature of capitalism, grow or die. It’s a model of success that rings true. It’s mostly true with the physical body, we build on previous strengths.

But the body breaks down over time. Why can’t I run as fast as I did in when I was in the Army? If anything I’ve improved my average distance by orders of magnitude. But 22 isn’t 42, as if we needed a reminder. My goals have to be different now. Our bodies don’t respond the way a company does. Decay is built in at the foundation and although we improve we’re not able to break out of the code.

I hope that’s not too much of a downer. Consistency creates a hardness that overcomes the superficial nagging elements at work in our bodies. I get up early and early and run because. . .I get up early and run. I don’t think about it too much. The decision is already made. It’s raining? Hit the gym. I’m sick? Do it tomorrow. I don’t feel like it. Then go half distance.

My first goal is to keep going. Everything else flows from there.