Staying Focused Both Inwards and Outwards

It was a busy afternoon, having spruced up for an important business presentation – I left the process, fairly spent. This evening, I ran 11K at 4:30 pace, and nose just under the 50-minute mark. I am glad as I jettisoned another 10K set for I originally intended to do an easy half-marathon. Considering that I wrote about the one-hour challenge yesterday, I decided to test it further by intensifying the challenge.

I ran in my new sponsored race-top by Schneider-Electric Tri-Team, and was checking which areas would require lubrication. Chaffing is an abrasive and potentially debilitating process that interferes with your pacing; made more physically pronounced when you shower. Richard Leong designed this set of top and tights for the company. I may just race in it this weekend after a few more sessions.

I was focused on three things during my run. Firstly, I focused on my breathing, noticing when I panted, huffed and puffed (like the Big Bad Wolf). Secondly, I ensured my running posture was comfortable, with light and aligned steps; my calves were still tight from my unshod run on Sunday evening, and yesterday’s fining session. Thirdly, I wanted to stay lucid and alert to familiar faces on the road as I ran. I was delighted to meet two friends from Crazy2Tri, one of which was fast runner Danny Lee. I also acknowledged non-verbally a regular runner (I have nodded or waved to him before) who was delighted to return the greeting. He gave me the thumbs up when we crossed paths for the second time.

I realized that runners may be too introverted and anti-social when we run, so we display the characteristics of avoidance. I decided that it was reasonable to demonstrate my personal values for rapport, during an intense activity. If I could not focus on my outside, then I felt I was being self-centred and inward-looking. All this made for a very satisfying solo run tonight, albeit I was spent like an empty wallet!

Time to write: 20 minutes.