Image by shaun wong via FlickrAnd I've written a new blog post!
The past couple of months have been quite a roller coaster for me. Not only as far as my running goes, but my life in general.
I'll skip the general life craziness stuff, and just write about the running part.
First I'll say that I feel pretty good about the fact that I've been running for over a year now, and that I've reached a number of personal goals.
That said, I kind of hit a mental wall a couple of months ago. I realized that running had become something of a chore, rather than something I was enjoying. So I decided to take a break from it, and spend some time thinking about what I really wanted to get out of running.
During that time, I've been thinking about what I like and what I don't like about running, and whether I can make some changes to make the whole experience fun again.
A real break-through experience for me was the 10k I ran about six weeks ago. It was my wife's first 10k, and her birthday, so I decided to run with her rather than try for a new PR. And guess what? That was easily the most fun I've ever had at a race event.
So here's what I've concluded: I need to stop thinking so much about trying to be competitive, and just focus on being consistent.
Here's the thing. I don't like speed work. I don't like tempo runs, intervals, etc. About the only time I even come close to enjoying a hard run is on race day.
What I do like are easy runs. I enjoy going out at a nice easy pace and just going for however far I feel like I can go. I look forward to my weekend long run. I miss those 9 and 10 mile runs I was doing when I was training for my half marathon. (not to mention that these long, slow runs are supposedly the best for burning fat, which is the main reason I need to run in the first place)
So, moving forward, my training plan is simple: just go out and run, at least 3-4 times a week, however far, at whatever pace feels good that day.
Will this training plan elevate my running to another plane? Probably not, but who knows. I mean, okay so maybe I'll never break the tape at a 5k without regular, painful speed work. And don't get me wrong - things like setting new PRs and placing in the top 3 are great. But I just feel like, at least for now, I'd rather spend my running time just running consistently, without worrying so much about performance.
So, at least for now, I'll pass on the rigorous training schedules, and just run.
