After posting up one of my slower 10k's in recent memory, I get the feeling that I'm supposed to be coming to some kind of realization. All of my races recently have been quite a bit slower than the last several years, for various reasons.
Recovery from the Alabama Relief Run, a lack of recent training, a lack of motivation to train hard, and inconsistency could all be cited as reasons for my sub-par performances of late.
Perhaps this should be indicative of something that would lead me to some catharsis.
But then I come to the realization that in the face of all of it, I don't care.
I don't care that I'm slow(er) for the moment. I hope to get a bit faster, but that's not a prerequisite for my continued running.
I don't care that I don't particularly feel the obligation to put in 100+ mile weeks. I'd like to get to that level again at some point, but the desire to do so must come about naturally.
I don't care that I miss a couple days a week of running when life (real life, not to be confused with running life or work life) happens. I look forward to the days when I'm back to clockwork consistency, but it will come in due time.
I run because I enjoy it. I run when it's hot. I run when it's cold. I run when people say I shouldn't. I even run when it's a stretch to use the term itself.
Is that a realization?
I think it's something we all have known all along.
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2 comments:
"...the desire to do so must come about naturally."
Amen to that. It'll come back, no doubt. And when it does, it will be a beautiful thing. Until then, enjoy the "unstructured training". Maybe I'll even get you over to CrossFit and put some meat on those bones.
The best way to keep on running is to do it the way you do. No compulsion, no obsession, just run when and how you feel like it.
I have found that my motivation waxes and wanes for different aspects of training: long, fast, short, slow, whatever it is.
And whatever it is, I don't worry about it. So many runners are their own worst enemies. Getting in your way, overthinking and overdoing is what leads to injury and burnout.
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