I’m feeling much better after today’s 3-miler. I was supposed to do weight training today but just had to get outdoors for a run instead. And I am so glad I did.
As I was putting on my shoes, it dawned on me that I’ve gotten into a 2-mile rut around my neighborhood. 16 blocks one way on Lloyd and then 16 blocks back equals roughly 2 miles. Perfect for a leisurely jog, but for training, it just isn’t going to cut it. And there’s a really good chance it’s part of the reason I kept hitting a hall with my running last week.
The beauty of a regular route is that your mind and body get used to it. But the danger is, you guessed it, your mind and body get used to it. It’s one thing to know an incline is coming up around the next turn; it’s another to get psyched out by it before you can even see it.
Running is such a mind game.
And so, as I started out tonight, I had an epiphany – why don’t I do the “extra” mile first? That way, by the time I start my usual 2-mile route, I’ll already be 1/3 of the way done.
I used this mentality during my first 8K race a few years ago. I ran the first 2 miles. And then I mentally started over, telling myself “Now you just have to do 3 more miles. That’s a 5K, just like you usually do.” I also played a similar game during the last leg of the Miami half marathon last winter.
It seemed to work then. And I think it worked tonight as well. So to that I say – let the mind games begin.
Unscripted 