Back to running

I used to be a runner. As a teenager I trained regularly and eventually got my 10k personal best down to 41 minutes. Then life happened, in the good way. Studying, starting a job, and having kids all took their share of time and energy, and running quietly disappeared from my schedule. For the last several years I did practically no sport at all.

Three weeks ago something clicked and I decided to change that.

Starting over, but smarter this time

The teenage version of me ran on instinct and enthusiasm alone, with no real plan behind it. This time I wanted to do it properly. I'm following a structured training plan with three runs per week:

• one easy run to build a base and let the body adapt

• one long run to build endurance

• one tempo or speed session to work on pace

Three weeks in, here's where things stand:

Seven activities and just over 57 km in July already. Seeing the numbers stack up like this is honestly one of the best motivators to keep going.

Feeding the motivation

Getting back into something after a long break is as much a mental game as a physical one, so I've been surrounding myself with running content to stay motivated and pick up tips along the way. A few channels I've been enjoying:

• The Running Channel

• Achilles Running

• Ben Parkes

I'm also listening to the audiobook of Born to Run by Christopher McDougall on Audible. It's the classic story about the Tarahumara people and their seemingly endless running ability, and it's doing a great job of reminding me why running can be joyful rather than just another item on a training plan.

The data side of things

As a software engineer, I obviously couldn't resist the technical side of running too. I picked up a Coros Pace 4 as my new running watch, and I'm really happy with it so far. It tracks every run, keeps my workout schedule organized, and gives me a level of detail that satisfies my data curiosity nicely.

One of the features I've been digging into is the Running Fitness Score, which breaks down fitness into endurance, threshold, speed, and sprint categories based on the pace zones I train in:

Though the numbers are only estimates and won't replace a real lab test it gives me something to track progress against, rather than just going by feel.

Owning my data

As much as I like the Coros ecosystem, I don't want to be locked into it. If I ever switch watches or the company changes direction, my training history shouldn't be held hostage. So I've set up a cronjob using corosexport that automatically pulls all my activities as .fit files, giving me a raw, portable copy of everything I run.

Alongside that, I'm actively looking at self-hosted tools to actually use that data instead of just archiving it. A few projects I'm evaluating:

• OpenAthlete

• fitpub

• Endurain

The goal is to end up with a setup where my data lives on my own infrastructure, and any watch or app is just one interchangeable piece of the puzzle.

The goal

My old personal best of 41 minutes for 10k is not the target right now, that would be a bit ambitious after years off. My near term goal is a sub 45 minute 10k in the coming weeks to months. Once I get there, I'll look at building up from that point, whether that means chasing pace again or extending distance.

For now, the plan is simple: stay consistent, trust the structure, and enjoy getting back to something I used to love.