Lately I seem to have been becoming a more reluctant runner and a conversation with the Big Man (Mr DP) yesterday highlighted to me the reason why. Where once the running used to be about fun and socialising, it now has a clear purpose. And since each of us has our own running program, mileage targets, time constraints and other variables including at least two different race dates, it’s not so easy to run together. Realising that I feel a lot happier… I know that there is a peak of fitness to achieve at a certain point in time and then I’ll be able to use that extra strength to enjoy myself even more than I used to before!
Even so, after ten icky miles yesterday and slightly achy knee joints this morning, I was not raring to get on the machine.
But on I did get and after the distances I’ve recently endured, 5 miles seemed pretty straightforward. 42.26 is not fast by the standards of previous weeks, but I’m still being sensible after last weekend’s 20-miler and with the average at just over 7mph, it’s okay.
One other thought from the Big Man is rattling around in my brain though… why am I not outside. I run on the machine for a series of reasons: monitoring heart rate, getting used to running at a particular speed, avoiding the ice & snow in the winter, lack of pleasant local pavements to run on, time available and so on. This has definitely had a positive effect on my long-distance running ability, as witnessed in the consistency of speed in my Woodingdean runs.
But Spring is upon us and that’s my favourite season for running outside so whilst I may continue to do some training on the machine, I will hopefully find time in the next few weeks to do some of my old cross-country routes too. And since the Big Man is back in town for a while and there’s a rumour that the Bok has overcome some of his back problems, maybe there’s even a chance of the odd social run too. Just the thought of it has made me smile!