Running Enjoyment

My first scheduled run from my coach last week was to run at my own pace and “just enjoy it.” I had to chuckle at that because I have yet to really enjoy running. Running and I don’t have that kind of relationship. I find it difficult, stressful, and frustrating at the lack of improvement and results.

Although I am middle of the pack in the swim and bike, I am generally dead last in the run. It is really frustrating to see everyone easily run fast. I have had a couple of injuries from running, so we have been taking things really slowly too. I have employed a run/walk strategy measured in seconds or minutes rather than miles or water stations. It’s just been really tough. So I have decided to try and find a way to enjoy running like I enjoy the other sports in triathlon.

So for this first run, I decided to go a totally different route so that I had zero time expectations or experience. I turned off my run/walk timer on my watch, and just set out at a pace I thought I could maintain for a while with the plan to walk when I felt like walking.

My legs were still sore nearly a week after the race so they felt pretty heavy on the run, but again I was just going to take what my body would give me on a nice easy run. I focused mostly on my breathing, and let a nice steady breathing pattern dictate the pace. I only looked at my HR once on my watch. After 15 minutes I turned around and went home.

It was a good run. I wont say I enjoyed it, but I also didn’t hate it.

A few days later I followed it up with another run with the same expectations and basically the same new route. I found a good pace early, steady breathing, HR reasonable and I just kept running at that pace. As I passed the 1 mile mark I was still running, so I figured I would take a quick 1 minute walk break at the halfway point when I turned around at about 15 minutes. Well I stopped to take a picture of a couple of deer so my walk ended up a bit longer than a minute, but thats ok. I am trying to find joy in my running and seeing deer is a good start!

Then I started running the way home. Again basically the same pace, tried to keep my breathing nice and even. Not looking at my watch for most of it. I was feeling good so I figured I might as well try to get a 5k in. So I extended my run a few extra minutes and another .33 miles to get there.

So that has to be the most I have run continuously in a long time almost 14 minutes, and then close to 18 minutes continuous. My observations on that were that it wasn't so bad aerobically, but I was feeling it in my shins and ankles. Somehow the walk breaks that I take give those just enough rest that they don't bother me generally.

Aerobically I felt great. I had fresh legs tonight for this too which helps. Looking at my data my HR was good, pretty steady to just a slow climb, my pace slowed a bit second half but that was pretty steady too.

Now people will laugh when they see the pace of my “run.” I averaged a whopping 10:40/mi on that run. But I am happy with that. I achieved something I haven’t done in a long time, I survived it without being super sore or totally exhausted. So along with the deer sighting, I did prove to myself that I have improved my run fitness over the last two years.

Something to build on!