Adaptation

I was out of the workout groove for the second half of 2017. I just couldn't seem to muster the motivation to exercise consistently, and then the less you work out, the less you want to work out. It hurts-- both your muscles and your pride. I made noises about getting back in the swing of things with that Nov/Dec roommate fitness challenge, but my heart wasn't in it and then somehow neither were my feet.

So it's been a relief, albeit a humbling relief, to be sticking reasonably closely to a 10K training plan. I am doing the late April 10K I've done a few times before, using the Matt Fitzgerald plan I've used before. I am finding, as always, that six workouts a week is a lot of workouts, but I am also finding that I can make time for things that are important. (I only managed five workouts this week and last week, but still: progress.)

This is the first day of week 5. You guys, I was pretty demoralized by week 1. I thought I was going to be limping along that 10K course like a geriatric snail. My long-ago Sunday school teacher told us that lepers used to have to shout "Unclean! Unclean!" when they came in contact with non-lepers. I was starting to think I'd have to carry a sign that said "Unfit! Unfit!" (because of course I'd be too out of breath for shouting, even at my geriatric snail pace), warning away all the real runners in case my galumphing gastropoddery might be contagious.

It turns out that bodies -- who knew? -- are adaptable. A month in I am feeling more like my old self: resting heart rate is slower, paces are faster. For cross training in the first two weeks I was using an exercise bike at the fitness center, directing it adjust the resistance to keep my heart rate in the low 120s. I was a little embarrassed by the mileage numbers it spat out at the end of those first workouts. But tonight I covered 9 miles in my 30 minutes, a number I was pleasantly surprised to see. (It's possible that there's a calibration difference across bikes, but that number feels about right.)

So: if you happen to be feeling out of shape and discouraged, I can recommend Matt Fitzgerald's 80/20 plan. The first 25 workouts are likely to feel kind of crummy, and then the magic happens.