13/08/2026
Good morning!
I just want to have a wee chat about training and goals.
When we sign up for an event, our initial goal is 'complete the event'. We can add or subtract things from that goal as we need to - we might decide to complete it in a certain time, or we might pick up an injury and decide the best way to achieve the goal is to add in walk breaks or adopt a slower pace.
Training is the plan we make to show us how we are going to achieve the goal. Anyone who has followed a training plan will know that we definitely have to adapt our plan as we go because there is always an unexpected blip. But these adaptations make us stronger, not weaker. The ability to adapt on the run (literally!) is a superpower that runners can use to their advantage.
As many of you know, I'm training for the Great North Run next month. My focus until now has been building distance, so lots of runs gradually getting longer. While I'm training for these, I tend to avoid the hottest time of day, because my focus is on distance. But as the race gets closer, I start to think about the temperature - my start time on the day is 12 noon!! I always keep my fingers crossed for a cool cloudy day, but that is the one thing that I can't control. So I add in a few runs in the heat too, to help me adapt.
It's currently about 20 degrees here and sunny and I'm just back from a 7k run. I'm nearly 52 (tomorrow!), perimenopausal and the heat is not my friend! Today I had planned to run 10k, but it just wasn't going to happen today. The temptation was to push on and complete the distance, however i chose to head home.
Why?? Good question.
If I pushed on, I risked making myself ill which I would then have to recover from before I could run again. By cutting my run short, I can look after myself today and try the run again tomorrow. No harm done.
Is this a failure?? Absolutely not!
It's training. It's adapting. It's learning.
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