"We rarely talk about cooking or relationships. All we talk about is running."
My mom was referring to me in this comment to her best friend yesterday. She may have been exaggerating a little, but she was mostly right. My constant introduction of running to conversations, which often don't have anything to do with running, is probably driving my mom and my Dave nuts. They get the brunt of my obsession because they are the lucky two who actually understand my commitment to the sport (everyone else thinks it's just something I do occasionally). Plus I have a hard time keeping my new found love for running inside.
There may be another, less personal reason why I talk about running all of the time: it's what we runners do. We're kind of an obsessive bunch anyway - with personalities that allow us to force ourselves into daily physical discomfort we have a hard time being interested in something without being obsessed with it. We can also see the transformative effect running has on our bodies, minds, and spirits and want those we love to be "saved" too.
Do you other runners find you drive your spouses and best friends crazy with tales of hard workouts, chafing, black toenails, and PRs? Please tell me stories so I don't feel so crazy myself.
Yesterday's workout:
2:30:00 easy pace
had tired legs but kept up a steady trot; cannot imagine running a marathon at 8:20 min/mile at this point
Today's workout:
6 miles easy plus some arm, ab, and back work
3 comments:
I'm 99% certain my office mate is 100% fed up with me asking questions about training. She was quite the avid runner for years and the recent addition of twins to her household kind of derailed her 2008 training plans a bit (just a nudge :-)). So I look to her for quite a bit of support. It's to the point now where we will be in the midst of discussing a support issue at work and I'll answer a perfectly corporate related question with "should I change brands of shoes this far along in training?" Annoying, I'm certain.
It's back to the weight room tonight, thank you for your motivation. Sometimes it just feels better to know it's not "all for nothing."
Whoa, I ran 3 miles at an 8:20 pace this afternoon and it wiped me out. I've got soooo much work to do.
You asked about the difference between the Furman Institute (FIRST) program and your Daniels program. The FIRST program was highlighted in a Runner's World article a while back. They've expanded that into a book. The main thrust of the program is concentrated on 3 weekly runs: Tempo run, Interval workout and longer run. The program is based on concepts that Daniels endorses (he wrote an blurb on the back of the FIRST book) and the interval and threshold paces as described here are similar to the times the FIRST program recommends, although for me they seem to work out a bit slower. The FIRST program develops training times based on a 10k pace and is a bit simpler (it seems to me) plan to work out in my head. They claim you only have to run 3 times a week, plus cross-training. My "cross-training" is usually just slow jog days. This is actually the first time I'll be integrating intentional speedwork into my training that is based on a specific plan.
You're 20+ weeks into the Daniels' program and you seem to be seeing a significant increase in speed. Good work!
Oh, and I NEVER discuss running with my non-running wife. She has absolutely no idea now much I obsess about running, not running, shoes, miles, speed. That's one of the main reasons I blog about it.
Post a Comment