Starting Over
I remember when I first began running. It was about 10 years ago. I lived in Madison then and I would run with my next-door neighbor 3 mornings a week before work. We ran year 'round - even when it was 20 below zero with snow on the ground and pitch black out. I secretly liked how die-hard it made me feel. We didn't go far - only about 3.5 miles each time. And I didn't know anything about running other than that it was fun and a great way to stay in shape. I didn't have a GPS to track my speed and distance or a heart rate monitor to check my zone. I just ran. At first it was really tough. I remember feeling like I was going to keel over after just a few blocks when we first started out. But then, without my even trying, I got better and faster and it got easier to breathe even as I added on more miles.
There have been times in my life when I was a pretty good runner too. Never super fast, but fast enough to feel proud and to place in my age group (well, once anyway).
And I've run pretty consistently since then and have gotten progressively more into it. Now I own a Forerunner and a Polar and I subscribe to Runners' World and Running Times and the RunTex home page is one of my favorites. I've run a billion races and for the past few years I've coached other runners. But somewhere along the way I got burned out and seem to have lost touch with the simple joy of running. I miss the days when I would just go out with my neighbor because it was fun and something I enjoyed rather than one more area of my life about which I feel pressure to excel. And the ridiculous part is that I'm the only one exerting that pressure, but I'm not sure how to lose it and just run.
My burnout caused me to cut back on my running and try some new things like climbing and rowing. And I started biking a bit more than usual. I like all those things but I still miss running. The way it used to be. Just relaxing and fun. No pressure. Now, because I haven't been running as much and also because of the recent onset of summer weather here, I'm finding it difficult to run very far, let alone fast. And it really bothers me. I know I need to just start over and go for shorter runs until naturally, over time, without my even trying, it just gets easier again. Rationally, I know it will, but I still want to just pick up where I left off since I know I was there before.
Maybe forcing myself to start over will help me get back in touch with the things about running that drew me to it in the first place. Yeah - maybe that's it. If I can just figure out how to lose the pressure and let myself start over.
Man, as powerful as a body's musculature can be, it is the brain that controls everything. It can strengthen the weak or cower the strong. I know most things come down to mind over matter, but how do we get a handle on the mind?
There have been times in my life when I was a pretty good runner too. Never super fast, but fast enough to feel proud and to place in my age group (well, once anyway).
And I've run pretty consistently since then and have gotten progressively more into it. Now I own a Forerunner and a Polar and I subscribe to Runners' World and Running Times and the RunTex home page is one of my favorites. I've run a billion races and for the past few years I've coached other runners. But somewhere along the way I got burned out and seem to have lost touch with the simple joy of running. I miss the days when I would just go out with my neighbor because it was fun and something I enjoyed rather than one more area of my life about which I feel pressure to excel. And the ridiculous part is that I'm the only one exerting that pressure, but I'm not sure how to lose it and just run.
My burnout caused me to cut back on my running and try some new things like climbing and rowing. And I started biking a bit more than usual. I like all those things but I still miss running. The way it used to be. Just relaxing and fun. No pressure. Now, because I haven't been running as much and also because of the recent onset of summer weather here, I'm finding it difficult to run very far, let alone fast. And it really bothers me. I know I need to just start over and go for shorter runs until naturally, over time, without my even trying, it just gets easier again. Rationally, I know it will, but I still want to just pick up where I left off since I know I was there before.
Maybe forcing myself to start over will help me get back in touch with the things about running that drew me to it in the first place. Yeah - maybe that's it. If I can just figure out how to lose the pressure and let myself start over.
Man, as powerful as a body's musculature can be, it is the brain that controls everything. It can strengthen the weak or cower the strong. I know most things come down to mind over matter, but how do we get a handle on the mind?
posted by Me at 6/06/2006 08:33:00 PM
2 Comments:
I had this same discussion with a friend as we were discussing our lofty 5K goals, "We've taken the simple joy out of running," I feared. But you can always go back. Leave the gear at home, forget what you read in Runner's World, hell wear a cotten shirt (eh, maybe not)....but just get out there and run for the purity of it.
Try the greenbelt for a change of pace, and if you've done that already try a different greenbelt!
Keep runnin'!
run = fun (though i'm not sure that applies to texas weather). runner's world = banal.
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