I did a tough 5km parkrun yesterday, up and down hills, in the direct sun of an already-heating-up Brisbane (Australia).
I knew our running friends were doing a 15km out-and-back run this morning, but I haven't run that far in... a very long time, and had no clue if I was up for it.
But recently I've realised how much 'learned helplessness' I have embedded into my subconscious mind. That is, some deep part of me believes that I really can't do much on my own...
Despite having run several ultramarathons on my own two feet.
Despite having travelled to other countries alone.
Despite working an insane number of different jobs in different industries, forever learning and figuring things out.
So, since being reminded of how unhelpful this belief (that I 'can't do stuff on my own') is I've been looking for ways to break that belief.
Like going on a long, hard run, even though some part of me thought I couldn't make it.
Our friends were training for a marathon, and they were doing a total of 30km, but constructed their morning to do it as 2x 15km out-and-backs so that some of us could join them.
Because they were out-and-backs it meant that any of us could turn back early and do a distance that suited us. I ended up hanging with one of the guys who was content to turn around at 6km. This also meant I was closer to being back on time not wanting to keep Brad waiting too long. (He had done a different loop, at his own pace, that suited him.)
My total mileage ended up being 12.4km, which was much more than I was imagining I would/could do but was happy I gave it a go!
Am I tired now? Yes.
But did I remind myself that I'm capable of much more than I realise/remember? Also yes.
Here's an explanation of the run represented in stats and graphs. I've explained each one simply in case you're not a runner!
Firstly - It was mostly an easy run, but I think the faster bits were just me cruising easily and quickly down some of the steeper (down) hills.
If this heart rate reading is correct (and it does seem reasonable for how it felt), this means I was working consistently hard (143 beats per minute) with some very hard work thrown in occasionally (178 beats per minute).
These zones look about right, especially given how hot it was this morning (and still is now). Translation for non-runners: I was working fairly hard for 45% of the time, very hard for 24% of the time and pretty easy for 29% of the time. The 'easy' and 'warm up' would have been the walk breaks we took throughout the run as needed.
Cadence, below, is about how many times our feet hit the ground. When we walk (the red dots) our cadence is low, when we run fast (blue and purple dots) our cadence is high. This is a perfect graph to demonstrate what a run/walk looks like from a 'steps' perspective!
And there it is, the official distance covered and time spent moving this morning. Job done!
Well, definitely not running haha!