January 8, 2024
Hello reader. I am not sure if it is the same for you, but I need a good doses of personal "ME" time every once in a while, to recharge my batteries and create some mental space. One of the ways I do it is by running solo. I love to run while listening to some music and talking with myself. Do you like running? Well, I have been running since forever (short, faster tracks) but only recently a couple of close friends have pushed my boundaries and invited me to run more mileage.
I was used to run approx. 300 kilometers per year, focusing on short runs (4km run each time, give or take) once or twice per week at a speed of 4:35 to 4:50 minutes per kilometer. Not bad, not too fast. In 2023 I switched gears and I have run 600 kilometers, 2x of what I was used to do, with an average speed between 4:25 and 4:45 m/km. I feel good about it even if my body feels the strain (knees). In January 2024, I will start a more intensive training to do a half-marathon in Madrid in April, trying to stay below 1h and 40 mins. Will I be able to do it?
Over time, after many runs, I have noticed that my mental expectations can impact my performance very much, of course. In the past, my brain was used to scream "ENOUGH!" at kilometer 4.0 (when I had to finish at 4.5). But the first time I run a 10k competitive ride, which I have finished to my surprise with an average of 4.23 m/km, I was mentally prepared to suffer for longer and - supported by an amazing playlist of music going from reggaeton to house to ska rock - I did not hear that voice screaming until km 7.
After that initial scream in my head I have typically noticed that a nasty, bitter mental chatter was starting in my mind. It said that I could not continue, that I was tired, that I could not breathe well, bla bla bla. I had to fight that message, and such fight was getting all my mental attention in the last phases of the run. Not fun. Despite adding more and more kilometers and more competitions, being more and more trained, the nasty mental chatter did not go away.
And you know what? My body could easily do those 10km runs despite some later mental stress. Reality was not the one being painted by my inner voice. My mental chatter kept saying that I couldn't but I easily could. One point gained for me and for all of us: our nasty inner voice and reality are not the same thing. Now I can observe my thoughts as an adult can observed a screaming baby with compassion, know that the scream does not indicate any major issue. It is just calling attention. Then, I smile at it and move on, and the chatter goes away.
I have been a big Nike fans since forever. In 2022 I was cruising with the Nike Pegasus 38, relatively happy about the performance of a not-so-touristy-wannabe-professional shoe. Then in 2023 I was ready to go big. So I ditched the purchase of the Pegasus 39 and I decided to go with the very best: Nike Vapor Fly next 2%. It was like driving a Ferrari (which I never did, but I can imagine). With a carbon sole, those shoes literally make you bounce ahead, faster. They are considered the fastest running shoes on the market. Period.
The major downside of those shoes (and any other fast, professional running shoes) is that they lasted only 150 kilometers, before flattening and losing their bounce entirely. I was impacted by such a discovery. The broader impact of all those quickly depleted running shoes on the planet is not pretty, as you can read here.
My family and I try to do our very best to reduce the impact of our day-to-day actions on the planet - including tiny things like closing the water tap while brushing teeth, recycle anything at any occasion, get used kids clothing from friends, and any other item on this list. We try to do what we can. We are kind of hopeless that the problem will be fixed, but we are happy to do our part.
Will stop running to become more sustainable? It cannot be the solution. I want to run and I want to be a more sustainable runner. So I later purchased the Asics Novablast, one notch below the Vapor Fly in terms of performance (but they are superior to the Pegasus). Most importantly, they are guaranteed to perform for 500/600 km. I have done 450 km on them and will try to do some more until they will die. Consider buying shoes that can run more mile is my first suggestion. I have some additional strategies, some of which are listed here.
If you are looking for inspiration, also consider buying two pairs of shoes instead of one next time (counterintuitive vs sustainability, right?): it seems it can help with stretching their longevity.
My final considerations:
(1) running (and buying running shoes) vs caring for the planet - it is very hard to do the right thing in any field of life: often there are no easy answers
(2) watching our thoughts: we are not the nasty voice that sometimes surfaces in our head, and it is possible to appreciate that reality is different that what we tell us in our mind
(3) if you need some mental space, keep running!
Share your running experience: hello@pantar.ai
