The Key To Running Happiness: Change Things Up

A couple of weeks ago, Matt wrote about needing some motivation. I, for one, am right there with him. This brutal winter has taken a toll on me. Once upon a time I was a perky, pre-dawn runner. Now I stay in bed as long as I can and wait until the afternoon to get my run in because, and this is my number one reason, it’s the warmest part of the day. I’ve turned into a wuss. I used to pride myself on my mental fortitude, now I’ve become soft. But it’s not just that. I’m plain old tired, and that’s the truth.

It’s true what they say; if you keep plugging along like the Energizer bunny, sooner or later you are going to need a break. Right now, I need a break. My body is telling me this each time I go out for a run. I’ve been a bit sluggish, I’m lacking my mojo. Here’s the kicker: I have the two biggest races of my albeit short running career just on the horizon – my very first 50k and the Boston Marathon. You would think I’d be bouncing off the walls with excitement right about now, but I’m not.

Altered Race Goals
I’m trying my hardest to log some time on my feet. Each time I start to feel good I am forced to take a couple of steps backward. Instead of being frustrated by this I have made a couple of important changes to my routine which has made all the difference. First of all, I altered my race goals. At first I lowered my time goals but eventually I got rid of them altogether. Now, my only goal is to “just finish” both races. This is the very first time I have ever gone into a race with absolutely no goals other than to cross the finish line.

Running By Time
The other key ingredient to my current training cycle is that I have fully embraced running by feel and have stopped wearing my Garmin completely. I have a roughly sketched out plan from week to week that very much resembles how I’ve trained in the past except instead of miles, I run by time on my feet. Then, I go out and run however I want to run. I have to tell you, this has been a very liberating experience for me and has made running fun again.

Scrap The Log
To be completely honest, I am not even recording my runs in my running log this season. I cannot tell you how many miles or hours I’ve run in the past month. I deal in approximates, but more importantly, I am much more focused on how my body is feeling. If it’s too tired, I skip a run because a recovered body works much better than an overused one. When it’s feeling good, I throw in a little burst of speed and have a good time.

Lessons Learned
What have I learned? That I love running but I really need a break. I am looking forward to both of the experiences coming my way: HAT 50k and Boston Marathon. Beyond that, I am excited to have not one single race on my calendar for the rest of 2011. Does that mean I will not race at all? Probably not, but the pressure to recover and jump back into training is not there, and that makes all the difference in the world.

Photo: Randy Marthins from his Postcards From The Curb collection