Run for Fun
btsinmd
Posts: 921 Member
I know I'm a new runner, but it seems like I've gotten myself so focused on achieving something with each one that my runs had all become challenges. I was always running farther or faster or sometimes trying to do both, which didn't work.
Last night my youngest dog and I went out to do the errands that I had to get done before the day was over. We went to the pet store and bought the kidney diet for my old girl and went to the bank. I had dressed in my runner's stuff and had him in his harness because I thought that if we had time I could try to conquer the big hill in the neighborhood. It was a bad time to do the hill as it was getting dark, after sunset, and the pavement, and road, in that area is very cracked and the trees can get low over the sidewalk and part of the street. Plus, children leave their, usually broken, toys out. Normally I avoid it, but I was thinking that I needed to do a challenge as I didn't have the time for a long run.
During the errands there was a huge thunderstorm, so that added standing water in places and so I just didn't want to cope with it all and decided just to go for fun.
Fells and I went to a local park that has the bike path going through the back of it. It's been at least 10 years since I walked that part of the path, but I loved the woods and rolling low hills and the little paths that branch off of the main one through the park. I put on my vibram 5-fingers rather than my regular running shoes, set my phone app for a 20 minute fun run, and just ran as fast as I was comfortable doing, not easy, but not hard, just as fast as I was comfortable to sustain for 20 minutes. It was warm and humid, but there was no sun, just enough light to see by and not much more. Fells enjoyed it too and at the end he was still grinning and my legs were tired, but I wasn't out of breath and I was just really happy.
This weekend, I'll do my 50+ minute runs and be happy that I conquered them and proud of myself, but that 20 minute fun run where I managed to average run faster than I ever had to this point was worth it too.
BTW, my local bike path runs from Baltimore to Annapolis and consists of the:
B&A path http://www.dnr.state.md.us/greenways/ba_trail.html
and the BWI path http://www.dnr.state.md.us/greenways/bwi_trail.html
and togther is marathon length. I'm not ready for that so I just run parts.
Last night my youngest dog and I went out to do the errands that I had to get done before the day was over. We went to the pet store and bought the kidney diet for my old girl and went to the bank. I had dressed in my runner's stuff and had him in his harness because I thought that if we had time I could try to conquer the big hill in the neighborhood. It was a bad time to do the hill as it was getting dark, after sunset, and the pavement, and road, in that area is very cracked and the trees can get low over the sidewalk and part of the street. Plus, children leave their, usually broken, toys out. Normally I avoid it, but I was thinking that I needed to do a challenge as I didn't have the time for a long run.
During the errands there was a huge thunderstorm, so that added standing water in places and so I just didn't want to cope with it all and decided just to go for fun.
Fells and I went to a local park that has the bike path going through the back of it. It's been at least 10 years since I walked that part of the path, but I loved the woods and rolling low hills and the little paths that branch off of the main one through the park. I put on my vibram 5-fingers rather than my regular running shoes, set my phone app for a 20 minute fun run, and just ran as fast as I was comfortable doing, not easy, but not hard, just as fast as I was comfortable to sustain for 20 minutes. It was warm and humid, but there was no sun, just enough light to see by and not much more. Fells enjoyed it too and at the end he was still grinning and my legs were tired, but I wasn't out of breath and I was just really happy.
This weekend, I'll do my 50+ minute runs and be happy that I conquered them and proud of myself, but that 20 minute fun run where I managed to average run faster than I ever had to this point was worth it too.
BTW, my local bike path runs from Baltimore to Annapolis and consists of the:
B&A path http://www.dnr.state.md.us/greenways/ba_trail.html
and the BWI path http://www.dnr.state.md.us/greenways/bwi_trail.html
and togther is marathon length. I'm not ready for that so I just run parts.
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Replies
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Great post, it is so easy to get wrapped up in training for races or trying to get a PB.0
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Sounds perfect. My training schedule has 45 minute "Chill Runs" built into it for that reason. So I can run a trail or whatever and not worry about distance or pace. Love the fact that you have a marathon length trail. I have the Silver Comet trails which is 30 miles all the way to Alabama. It's HARD finding good places to run for the longer distances.0
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btsinmd, great post! This is so important for all of us to remember. Sometimes we need to put aside all our fierce focus on improvement and just enjoy where we already are. Thanks for reminding me!
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