An old friend recently asked why I am not running
anymore and I was quite surprised by that comment because I am still
consistently running 3 times a week. The difference is that I don't want to
talk about it on Facebook as much any more. No particular reason but maybe I
just don't like to post about every run that I do because apparently that's
what you do if you are 30 and beyond, according to Buzzfeed. Yeah, I base my
decisions on Buzzfeed because that it's a very intellectual source of opinion
and findings.
I have been running a little less this year but
am doing more tempo and speed work and it’s been good to me. My speed has
increased a little more than last year and my body and mind are happier because
it’s under less stress. If I have learnt anything from the last few years of
running races is that the mind must not be stressed out during the preparation
of the race. It takes all the fun out of running and it’s the essence of
running for me, personally. Of course finishing with a great time is awesome
and rewarding but when I ask myself the reason why I started long distance
running, it’s because I love doing it. When you put yourself in a situation
where every training is just a number and a “task” it takes all the fun out of
it. I am not saying that you should not have a goal. You should. It makes
training more fun and meaningful. But there should a goal that is realistic
that is going to push you further but at the same time not to be disappointed
and self-imposing on what you can or should do. I was bitterly disappointed
when I did not reach my goal finish time as I bonked in the Auckland Half
Marathon last year and that put me off from running for a couple of weeks. I
ran another half marathon recently and I treated it as a training run instead
of a race and I swear it was one of the best runs I have had in years! My mind
was relaxed and my body felt light and willing. This is how running is supposed
to feel like. Compete with yourself, not only in terms of time but also how
happy you were whilst you were at it. I finished that race in my best time
ever. And I even stopped for a few minutes because I tripped and scraped
myself. Yes, the run was so awesome that it didn’t bother me one bit.
I am going to do the Adidas Half Marathon in less
than 3 weeks’ time and I am trying to stay focused on being relaxed about it. I
will run as hard as my body and mind would and enjoy the rest of the journey. A
great race is also about feeling the electric of the day. I have to admit that
I enjoy race days because you get to run with thousands of other people and it’s
the safest way to run because you don’t have to watch out for traffic and all
you do in that few hours is concentrate
on running and listening to what your mind and body tells you. Actually for me,
my Garmin tells me what I should be doing. But it’s all good. I will be focused on staying healthy and happy until race day. Maybe a trip of indulgence to Lululemon.
Sharing with you some great running related finds on this post.
Happy running everyone!
Are you training for a race now? What is your strategy?
What motivates you to run?
What is your favourite tune to run in?
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