As many students will have heard me say over the last few years, the one thing that you can guarantee about habits is that they lapse. The key thing to remember is that when you realise that a habit has lapsed, you just pick up where you left off… with no emotion.
So although I’ve not blogged for six weeks, here I am back at the keyboard picking up where I left off.
Although I’ve not blogged, I have at least completed a few short miles: On the 12th May 5.02 miles in 40 minutes; on the 3rd June 2 miles in 18.31; and on the 4th June 2 miles in 18 minutes. All on the machine.
The lack of running and blogging was initially due to a busy few weeks, with conferences, a ten year reunion at LBS and the marking of 100 strategy papers for a friend at UCL. Then I just didn’t feel like it and found other things to do, like gardening, barbecues, researching or relaxing. Then, when I did do a couple of shorter, faster runs, I didn’t run because I could hardly walk for a week with a pair of wooden calves. [Memo to self, stretch after running!]
Eventually it was due to lethargy, which reminded me why I created this running/writing habit in the first place, way back in 2007.
It wasn’t just about keeping fit and slowly improving my ability to write: it was as an antidote to the tiresome physical and mental lethargy I feel when I don’t exercise.
So three runs in six weeks, totalling 9 miles in 78.5 minutes, average speed 6.88mph and a lapsed habit finally restarted.