I'm not running according to a schedule. I'm just running. I have several races on the schedule and I'm just going to run all of them. No time goals. Just running. How exciting!
However, it is making it difficult to push myself beyond my standard one hour run. I've started running to work more days of the week which means I get a 7 to 10 mile run Monday, Wednesday and Friday and I've been looking for the right kind of motivation for my weekend long run.
I had three things that needed to be done today: 1) a long run, preferably on a trail, 2) drop off some checks at the ATM and 3) pick up a prescription and contact solution from the pharmacy. As I got dressed for my run, I tried to plan my day and then thought, Why not get them all done at once?
I ran out the door with my checks for the ATM in one hand and my water bottle holder stuffed with my credit card for the pharmacy and two gels for the trail. I hit the ATM, headed through the streets of Arlington downhill toward the Potomac River, ran along the Potomac Heritage Trail for a few miles, felt satisfied with a an hour of scrambling up, over and down rocks and roots, turned back, jumped on the Custis Bike Trail for a mile, swung back through the, now busier, streets of Clarendon, stopped long enough at the pharmacy to get what I needed and then headed home after nearly three hours of running errands.
Having a purpose for a run seems to be a great motivator for me. Running as fun, exercise and mode of transportation.
Daily Dozen:
14 mile long/errand run
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
A Disappointment and a Few Opportunities
This week, with the Charleston Marathon over and the glow of a sub-4 finish starting to fade, it was time to focus on my next goal: running my first 50-miler. Last summer, I had so much fun running the Skyline Challenge 50K that I wanted to continue challenging myself and run further than I ever had before. Targeting a 50 miler with its emphasis on steady forward motion and endurance would be a change of pace (literally and figuratively) from the faster running I was doing to prepare for Charleston and running a PR.
There was one flaw in my plan, which I hadn’t everconsidered. I didn’t get in to the race I wanted to run. Entry in to the race is a lottery based on a random number assignment and the performance of the stock market on the day the numbers are picked. As it turns out, I didn’t make it in and am rather far down the wait list. My chances don’t look good.
Realizing I wasn’t going to be running that particular 50 miler was disappointing but also, surprisingly, a bit of a relief. Now, I can take a bit longer to recover and maybe focus on some other events this spring. I’ve got a few shorter races this spring and all of them I will be running with either a friend or a family member. My early morning training runs are my time and I enjoy those runs but I do, sometimes, feel lonely at races being in huge crowd of runners and not knowing any of them. I love sharing races with people I know.
Also, I’ve signed up for my first triathlon, something that I never saw myself doing. I’ll be doing the swim portion of the Luray Triathlon, International distance on a Saturday in August and the whole multisport, swim, bike, run, Sprint distance race on Sunday. And I’m excited about it!
Finally, what I’ve only recently realized, after being disappointed for two days that I couldn’t run a 50 miler, was that I can run a 50 miler, just not that particular one. There are other options out there, who knew? I’ve got my eye on one that will be the first weekend in June and depending on how training goes this month, I will decided whether to sign up or not by March.
I love seeing my race schedule laid out before me and 2011 is shaping up to be a year of new experiences, new challenges and lots of quality time with friends and family out on the race course. Yes!
Daily Dozen:
Unscheduled Rest Day – I wanted to go swimming this morning but I stayed up late finishing a book and decided to continue sleeping when my alarm went off
There was one flaw in my plan, which I hadn’t everconsidered. I didn’t get in to the race I wanted to run. Entry in to the race is a lottery based on a random number assignment and the performance of the stock market on the day the numbers are picked. As it turns out, I didn’t make it in and am rather far down the wait list. My chances don’t look good.
Realizing I wasn’t going to be running that particular 50 miler was disappointing but also, surprisingly, a bit of a relief. Now, I can take a bit longer to recover and maybe focus on some other events this spring. I’ve got a few shorter races this spring and all of them I will be running with either a friend or a family member. My early morning training runs are my time and I enjoy those runs but I do, sometimes, feel lonely at races being in huge crowd of runners and not knowing any of them. I love sharing races with people I know.
Also, I’ve signed up for my first triathlon, something that I never saw myself doing. I’ll be doing the swim portion of the Luray Triathlon, International distance on a Saturday in August and the whole multisport, swim, bike, run, Sprint distance race on Sunday. And I’m excited about it!
Finally, what I’ve only recently realized, after being disappointed for two days that I couldn’t run a 50 miler, was that I can run a 50 miler, just not that particular one. There are other options out there, who knew? I’ve got my eye on one that will be the first weekend in June and depending on how training goes this month, I will decided whether to sign up or not by March.
I love seeing my race schedule laid out before me and 2011 is shaping up to be a year of new experiences, new challenges and lots of quality time with friends and family out on the race course. Yes!
Daily Dozen:
Unscheduled Rest Day – I wanted to go swimming this morning but I stayed up late finishing a book and decided to continue sleeping when my alarm went off
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