A Runner’s Reflection
As we approach the end of the year, I find myself, like many others, reflecting on how the year has panned out. Did it meet the expectations that I set myself on January 1st, 2022, what have been my highs and lows of the year?
Last January we were still affected by the remnants of COVID, I don’t think I consciously realised this but as I look back there were still events that I didn’t put in the RunVerity calendar for fear of them being taken away; the disappointment of cancelled races was still very raw. But now as we finish the year, I am excited about what the next year will bring; our community is stronger than ever and watching and facilitating our members achieve their goals is always something to be excited about.
However, what is the downside of setting goals in the New Year, what if we don’t achieve the goals, we place upon ourselves. As runners, should we always be looking ahead towards the next goal, the next PB, is this the only way to be a runner?
And if our running goals don’t meet our expectations, does this mean we have failed as runners and as individuals?
Each, and I hesitate to use the word failure, shouldn’t be undervalued, a small accomplishment must always be celebrated, even if the bigger goal wasn’t achieved. Every time a run is completed, or a finish line crossed, in my book, this is a win.
Stop for a moment and consider how far you have come holistically over the year, have you nailed your nutrition, remained upright and injury free, managed to continue running, even though life has been difficult and complicated this year.
If we focus on numbers, times, paces and pbs sometimes we don’t get to see the bigger picture; so, here’s my achievement of the year.
On Boxing Day, I ran Poole 10km in the same time as I did 15 years ago. For some this might indicate a lack of improvement in performance as the "numbers" are the same. For me, I am delighted due to "age-grading percentage".
Age grading percentage is a calculation that uses data collated by the World Association of Veteran Athletics to adjust performance for age and gender which enables a runner to compare their performance from previous years to where they are now. For me I can work out if my performance is improving over time despite slowing down in absolute terms i.e., I am a “nanna” and 15 years older!
In 2007 I had been running for approx. 6 years, I had one marathon under my belt and was about to start training for Paris marathon in the Spring of 2008. I worked full time; had a 12- & 13-year-old, I didn’t have a training plan, or a coach and I ran when I could 2 or 3 times a week. As a 38-year-old my Poole 10km time was 52 mins and my age grading was 58%.
The age grading score is a comparison with World Record times, and as a general guide, if your percentage comes out as 90% or above you can count yourself as World Class! Over 80% is typically National Class, over 70% is Regional Class and over 60% is local Class. Below 60% you’re not even classified! Just an average, recreational runner!
As a 53-year-old, with a time of 52 minutes, my age grading percentage for Monday’s run was 68.8%. If I had focused on just the time, I may well have been disappointed, I could have beaten myself up because I hadn’t, on paper, got any faster or improved despite all my coaching. But by looking at the bigger picture I can see what I have accomplished, I had moved up a class!
As we move forward into 2023, spend some time reflecting on your wins, it doesn’t matter how small, a win is a win.
Happy New Year!