I’m training for this years Canberra Times Fun Run, on September 12.
You can help out the Heart Foundation by sponsoring me. Follow the link here.
Brian Miller’s Fundraising Page
You can also follow my training at the DailyRun site via the icon in the side bar, or Facebook or Twitter. I’ve only just started entering details, but it should grow over time.
All this of course raises the question – Is it possible to call a run, a “fun” run?
It’s certainly possible to be satisfied by the achievement. Or by the process taken to get to the achievement. I’m most interested in continuing to be active, fit and healthy. So actually running in the fun run isn’t necessary, but the process to get there is a good one.
I regularly ride my bicycle in the mornings, trying for 3 rides each week. (I’ll enter these on the training site too) I also try to get in 1 or 2 weights sessions each week. I find that it is the continued act of doing something which is most important and motivating.
However, sometimes I find that some additional motivation is good to help things along, or to step up the level of performance.
Several years ago I set myself the task of completing the Pedal Power “Fitz’s Challenge” A long distance ride, over the hills around Tidbinbilla and Namagi National Park. The training needed to complete this helped to keep me going over the cold winter and lifted my performance to a new level.
A few years on and I found myself looking for something to focus on again. It’s been a long time since I ran with any serious intent. In fact, a running injury is what got me into cycling in the first place. So I started out tentatively. This was over a year ago now! It has taken me this long to be able to get past calf and achilles troubles which stppped me from going more than a few kms or more than one run a week.
Last year I also managed to pull my hamstring while playing family backyard cricket, which didn’t help things! So I’m now quite happy to be able to run for more than an hour, and look forward to putting in a strong effort in the “fun run”.
One of my goals is to finish the run strongly and in a decent time. What is a decent time? When I was 18, and the fun run was only 9.6km instead of 10, I finished it in 36 minutes. I don’t intend to be anywhere near that time now! But under 45 mins would be pleasing, under 50 mins ok. We’ll have to wait and see.
More to come as my training proceeds.
Brian.
Tags: cycling, fun run, heart foundation, running, training