Remembering the fun
I think I have been getting stressed out about the Marathon that is now only 27 days away. I really do want to beat the 4 hour mark but I have been feeling a rising tension and dread about the run.
To ease this feeling I decided to just have a fun run yesterday. It was 22km in about 2 hours and 5 mins, running from home to the city (about 6km) then a lap of the 1/2 marathon course, and finally back home. It made a big difference. My rate was slow but very comfortable and time wise actually not too shabby.
The main thing though was that I had fun. I didn’t push my heart rate, I didn’t push myself and I was back at home feeling like I could have easily kept going for another 10km at least.
It reminded me of the reason that I called my other blog ‘idleminds” because of the way my thought are freed to roam as I run.
It is that meditative, relaxed state that I run for and I have been missing it. I thought for a while that is I had been using running as an escape from unhappiness at work, and for sure it helped me then, but I wasn’t pushing myself for a fast time. Nor was I getting very close to the day of the run. I thought that since changing to a job that I am enjoying more that the wandering thoughts had left me.
Now I actually want to get out there enjoy that freedom. I’ll let the time take care of itself on race day. If I beat 4 hours then good. If I don’t, also good. This running had to be about doing something that feels good. Otherwise it will just become one more thing that I do.
