I run; Therefore, I am.

This is my first post on my aboveaveragefitness blog. I don't really know what direction it will take, even if I will continue on updating it or if anyone will be interested in reading it but for now it's a place for me to talk about fitness and everything that encompasses it really! Like the name implies, my blog is about trying to achieve and attain above-average-fitness (Yep, made up my own word!). Now, what exactly this means, I'm not sure. I guess I want to see myself as being fitter and healthier than the average person. Not that fitness should be solely based off whether you're better than someone, not at all. I see the "average person" as not even being a person, more a base level of fitness that I can work on and constantly improve myself upon. I'm pretty average in all other realms of life and my current fitness level isn't what you'd call amazing, I'm an average-above-average-fitness person and this blog is to document my journey through my fitness goals and anything else I want to talk about! So, without further ado, I will crack on with it!

Did my usual 10km route today (It's actually 9.8km but shhhh) and it was pretty arduous and unpleasant! I did my longest ever run last week that was around 16/17km - I only know a rough estimate cos I got lost so many times, ha! But 4 days after and my legs are evidently still a little stiff from it. I should have stretched more, a lot more. I just really hate stretching. I think that's the essence of running though; you keep going no matter how hard it is. I wanted to stop a lot but I just kept going, I took account of my posture, where my feet were landing and when I do all that I forget the pain for a while. I stopped 3 times to stretch, something which I've never had to do but it helped me carry on. But I did it and now as always, I feel great and very accomplished! I don't think there's a better feeling in the world than completing something which was a challenge. Something that challenged you both mentally and physically. I think running makes you a better person because of this. It makes you persevere longer when others may have quit, it makes you able to tolerate pain and allows you to create coping mechanisms to deal with your problems, as opposed to giving up.

I'm reading What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami at the moment, I'm nearly finished and I have to say it is an utter pleasure to read! The way he puts the feelings of running into words really is awe-inspiring. He is so structured and regimented when it comes to running and I hope that what I've learned from the book I can instil in my own life. Today for example, like I said, it was really tough and I really wanted to stop. A few weeks ago I would be beating myself up telling myself I clearly wasn't fit enough for it and I should just drag my fat ass back home, sit on my already fat ass and watch it grow even larger. Not today! His calm and level-headed approach to running made me change the way I thought today and instead of being a dick to myself I just said "Hey, go you! You're running! It may be slow but who cares, you're gonna hammer out these 10 kilometres and feel great after!". Now I'm not exactly confident this will happen all the time but it was nice to feel this way for once. I recommend his book for anyone with even the slightest interest in running. My favourite, simple quote from the book :

"A gentleman shouldn't go on and on about what he does to stay healthy"

Now, I don't go around boasting about how much exercise I've done cos frankly I don't think the amount I do actually do is anything to boast about. But, when you have reached a personal achievement, be it a new personal time, a new long distance, another pound lost or a heavier weight you lifted, it's normal to want to tell people. I thankfully have people around me who are also interested in fitness so I usually talk to them about my goals and achievements, as they tell me theirs. I think this is an important thing to remember, people who aren't into the same things as you do not want to hear about your achievements or goals. I don't think this is due to any sort of envy or ill-will, it's just human nature. If I don't like Jazz music and you keep telling me about the new Jazz music you've been listening to, I quite frankly won't care. So, I don't expect someone who doesn't have an interest in fitness or running to listen to my ramblings on about stiff calves and stretching. I'll probably do a longer post about this at some point, but I'm only hinting on it now.

I plan on hitting the gym tomorrow and hopefully getting a few new exercises under my belt, I've been on the same program for 2 weeks now and I've pretty much adjusted to it. The body is a wonderful thing like that! I'd love to be able to do a pull-up someday so I think I'm gonna ask my instructor how I can begin this process! That's all for now folks. Peace.