Mileage: 12.5 miles (AM: 3.75 miles; 8.75 miles)
I think most runners will agree with this, running is something you can fall quickly in and out of love with. Injuries, bad form, poor races, lack of progress and all sorts of reasons can make you wonder why you run at all. However, good races, PBs, great training, physical and mental fitness can make you love running and wonder why you ever stop.
I have enjoyed the running roller coaster this last few days and today I thought I would talk a little bit about how much of a roller coaster it is.
On Saturday after running poorly in the Musselburgh 10k and finishing well short of what I hoped for I was left both disappointed and fed up with running. Okay, it wasn't going to make me give it up anytime soon, but it did make me question why I dedicate so much of my time to running and why I make my body hurt with the effort. I was little grumpy for the rest of Saturday as my performance stewed in my mind. Sunday morning brought a new day and my long Sunday run. It was amazing how different I felt after that run. I felt great, with a real sense of achievement at having done my planned 24 miles in a good, steady time. It had certainly helped re-balance my thoughts after Saturday. I was on the way back up.
Then today I felt even better. Normally I feel pretty sluggish and stiff on a Monday after a long run and my run to work in the morning is usually a slog that I get through rather than anything I enjoy. Today was a lot different. I did have a slightly tight hamstring, but other than that I felt pretty good and fairly sharp as I dashed up the road. I got to work feeling quite fresh and already looking forward to my run home. My run home was my longer route along the canal towards where it meets the Water of Leith at Slateford and then on to the cycle path at Haymarket and down to Ferry Road and Ainsley Park gym. From the moment I set off this evening I felt really good and as I raced along the canal footpath I couldn't help but think about how much I was enjoying it and how much I loved running. I had to force myself to slow down and keep the run a recovery run rather than a tempo run. It made me think back to how I felt post race Saturday and how different I now felt. The funny thing is that even though I was going nowhere near as fast as I can, I wasn't running a race or heading for a PB I was simply running home and loving it. I guess that's the beauty about running at times for no real reason it can just feel great!
I finished my run tonight enthused, excited and simply can not wait to get back out tomorrow morning and then for my mile reps tomorrow night. I am, however, only another run away from feeling miserable and disliking it. A few bad mile reps tomorrow night would probably do it.
I guess that's the running roller coaster.
It's probably worth pointing out that my moods naturally swing from high to low and it may be that my feelings for running are no different than they are toward other things in life, it's just that I notice it more with running, because it takes up so much of my time and is a big focus of my life.
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