Rich ran a 5K road race last weekend and later that day, he asked if I'd like to join a local running club with him. "No" was my immediate response because I have zero interest in joining a running club. I'm an introvert and running for me is mainly a solitary activity. It gives me that alone time I crave in order to recharge. This doesn't mean I don't ever run or want to run with others. Rich and I used to run together quite often before the girls were born. Right now, I'm content running solo.
When I was finally able to pick up running again back in June, Rich suggested that I train for a local 5K, specifically the one he ran last weekend. Which, by the way, even if someone could have watched the girls, we wouldn't have been running together as he runs much, much faster that I do. Lately, I've been running to run, not to train for anything, and I'm fine with that.
My point is that when it comes to running, everyone is different. Some people need to train for a race in order to feel motivated. Others don't. Some people run fast. Others don't. I was grumpy last week when it came to running because of how it's all changed over the years. I first headed out to attempt to run around the block 20 some odd years ago when I was in college. I hated running when I was in high school. Remember the 12 minute mile test? Hate. But I always wanted to be able to run around the track with ease. I started running for exercise and ended up thoroughly enjoying it. I ran exclusively on the treadmill (because of where I lived) for years and years and then I met Rich, another runner. Back then, I used to run five times a week. I didn't need to train for motivation. I guess I still don't.
Maybe because so many more people now call themselves runners, some feel the need to put down the slower folks. Just a thought.
I had a good conversation with my sister-in-law last week. We run comparable speeds and she's heard the "slow" talk as well. After last week's grumpiness, I'm back to who cares. I run what I run, get over it. If you run faster, good for you.
I've been running two miles every time I head out and I know I'm not supposed to, but I find myself running "fast" each time. Fast right now for me is a 10:00 - 10:15 minute mile. It may be because I used to be able to easily run 10 minute miles so I'm just trying to get back to that standard. Behind my right knee is prone to soreness. I have scar tissue from when I dislocated my knee cap and coincidentally (or not) I had a running injury in that area many, many years ago. It was acting up a few weeks ago so I dropped back my mileage (ha ha, can I even call it that?) but it's feeling better now.
So that's what I've been running which isn't much but it's better than sitting on the couch eating ice cream, which I'm still going to do but at least I ran first.
3 comments:
That's fast for me, too. And I NEVER hear all this negativity about people who run slow! I would be so sad if that's what I was hearing! I typically run between 10:35-11:05/mile these days, and that's GREAT for me. I sure wish I knew who these people were who are feeding you that negativity and are putting down "slower" runners but I consider myself fairly involved in running, and I guess I've just been lucky never to hear it.
That said, I also consider running a solitary activity and am also an introvert, so maybe I am just not meeting these groups of people who feel this way.
A mile is a mile no matter how long it takes :)
I started running again recently too. I was really out of shape. I started by doing an "interval" routine my mom recommended…30 seconds of jogging, 20 seconds of running, and 10 seconds of sprinting. Then you repeat 5 times and take a 2-minute walk break. I try to do three sets of five. Something about it made me feel really strong and fit (maybe the sprinting?) but I also felt pretty ridiculous sprinting down our very busy neighborhood path past people only to pull up to a shuffle jog a few seconds later. They probably thought I was crazy. But I kept "straining" my calf muscle during the sprint parts. Not bad strains because I would feel better a few days later. But I decided to stop the interval routine for a while. So now I just jog around for 30 minutes. I don't feel nearly so fit, but my calf seems to appreciate it. I have no idea how far I am running. I would hope three miles, but probably not.
I'm one that has to be training for a race to be motivated to run. I love dancing, weights, yoga... so going to the gym is easy for me, but I don't like working out alone or getting up early to beat the heat (or in the winter to have sunlight). I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes from finishing a run though.
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