Running in Place
A few weeks into this stay at home order I decided to commit to running a 15k on May 2.
Why a 15k? you may ask - well it is a long enough distance that I needed to train a little but not so long that I need all summer to do it, and truthfully I just don't love running more than 10 miles.
I ran 3-4 days a week leading up to the run with my long runs on Saturday. The long run could have been any day of the week, let's face it I have very little going on right now, but I really needed it to be on the weekend so Matt could pick me up.
We live on the "ridge". It is basically the top of a baby mountain. I could get a full 15k in by running through all the neighborhoods up here but it is super hilly and quite boring to spend over an hour running through houses, so I plotted a nice downhill route into the valley town below us. The bonus is there is a great coffee shack down there that turned out to be the perfect place for Matt to meet me.
After four weeks of training, race day arrived. It was supposed to rain but held off for me. There was a nice breeze, intermittent cloud cover, and very few people out that I had to dodge on the paths. It was a great day to run 9 miles. I was really proud of my time, I beat my race pace for the last half marathon and I felt really good when I was done.
Now what?
Having this running goal gave me some purpose each week. I HAD to get those training runs in or the long runs would hurt so bad. I wanted to push myself to maintain my goal pace so that I could feel like I really accomplished something. Without that training requirement looming over me, I have run once this week. The push, the drive, the necessity to get out and conquer the pavement faded.
I find this true of so many things right now. Without seeing anyone outside of my home, I feel little urgency to do more than brush my teeth and throw on comfy shorts these days. My work is so limited that it feels trivial and I'm unmotivated to do my best. So many little things that I used to care about are starting to just shrink with the absence of the busyness and speed of normal life.
I could tread water, keep everything moving while I'm stuck in one place, or I could float. Either way, I stay in one place - but the mindset of each is quite different. Treading water keeps you active and working, while floating encourages atrophy of my mind and muscles. When I can look beyond this moment, the temporary pause in life, I know I want to keep working hard and pushing myself to accomplish certain things. It is when the darkness of these challenging times creep in that I want to just close my eyes, lay back and float.
I need to remind myself to tread. To keep working and pushing even if it feels like I'm going nowhere. It will be better for me now and in the long term and it actually brings me more joy in the moment.
Maybe you do need to float now and then, but when you have collected yourself, engage your muscles and tread.
We are so close to being allowed to swim again.
Why a 15k? you may ask - well it is a long enough distance that I needed to train a little but not so long that I need all summer to do it, and truthfully I just don't love running more than 10 miles.
I ran 3-4 days a week leading up to the run with my long runs on Saturday. The long run could have been any day of the week, let's face it I have very little going on right now, but I really needed it to be on the weekend so Matt could pick me up.
We live on the "ridge". It is basically the top of a baby mountain. I could get a full 15k in by running through all the neighborhoods up here but it is super hilly and quite boring to spend over an hour running through houses, so I plotted a nice downhill route into the valley town below us. The bonus is there is a great coffee shack down there that turned out to be the perfect place for Matt to meet me.
After four weeks of training, race day arrived. It was supposed to rain but held off for me. There was a nice breeze, intermittent cloud cover, and very few people out that I had to dodge on the paths. It was a great day to run 9 miles. I was really proud of my time, I beat my race pace for the last half marathon and I felt really good when I was done.
Now what?
Having this running goal gave me some purpose each week. I HAD to get those training runs in or the long runs would hurt so bad. I wanted to push myself to maintain my goal pace so that I could feel like I really accomplished something. Without that training requirement looming over me, I have run once this week. The push, the drive, the necessity to get out and conquer the pavement faded.
I find this true of so many things right now. Without seeing anyone outside of my home, I feel little urgency to do more than brush my teeth and throw on comfy shorts these days. My work is so limited that it feels trivial and I'm unmotivated to do my best. So many little things that I used to care about are starting to just shrink with the absence of the busyness and speed of normal life.
I could tread water, keep everything moving while I'm stuck in one place, or I could float. Either way, I stay in one place - but the mindset of each is quite different. Treading water keeps you active and working, while floating encourages atrophy of my mind and muscles. When I can look beyond this moment, the temporary pause in life, I know I want to keep working hard and pushing myself to accomplish certain things. It is when the darkness of these challenging times creep in that I want to just close my eyes, lay back and float.
I need to remind myself to tread. To keep working and pushing even if it feels like I'm going nowhere. It will be better for me now and in the long term and it actually brings me more joy in the moment.
Maybe you do need to float now and then, but when you have collected yourself, engage your muscles and tread.
We are so close to being allowed to swim again.
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