I had a great run this morning, and I want to tell you about it. It wasn’t my fastest or longest run ever, but it was significant improvement over my recent trend. Lately I have been in a bit of a running slump and today’s run delivered some much needed encouragement.
Still Running
I’m still running three days every week with “long” runs on Sunday. But the heat and humidity have been taking their toll and my pace has suffered. I have also been struggling to maintain my pace for more than a couple miles without feeling the need to walk. I’m still way ahead of where I was last year, but the summer has been hard. Today was an exception, and I am encouraged by what I accomplished.
I have a regular 4.25-mile route that I like run during the week, and that’s the route I chose this morning. The route starts at my house, then I enter the bike path about half a mile away. From there it’s about 2 miles to loop in the bike path, which I circle and return home.
The Encouragement I needed
This morning my legs were feeling tired and stiff from my leg workout yesterday, so I started out slow and easy. My goal is always to increase my pace throughout the run, but I often struggle with this. Often I peak too early, and by mile 3 my pace begins to slow.
I did a much better job pacing myself today. I managed to achieve negative splits for the entire run, and I finished strong. This is encouraging because I felt like I had more in the tank at the end of the run. Lately, that has not been the case. My legs felt a little sore during the run, but a few hours later they feel fine.
A few factors contributed to my success today. First, the weather was terrific. The humidity was high (82%), but the temperature was around 62° F with a slight breeze. I prefer mid-50’s, but this felt great compared to recent temperatures. Second, I was in much better control of my breathing today. Specifically, I focused on matching my breathing with my strides. I found this to be especially helpful late in the run when I felt fatigued.
Today was exactly what I needed. I’ve been feeling discouraged, and running has begun to feel like a chore. My mind has been drifting toward negative thoughts before my runs even begin.
“I’ll probably bonk out after a few miles.”
“It’s so hot, there’s now way I’ll finish this run.”
“I’m so slow, why am I even doing this?”
But today I didn’t let any of those negative thoughts get me down. Not that I was consciously thinking about it, rather, I simply focused on each step and each breath, one at a time. I didn’t expend mental effort on the miles behind or in front of me, only the next stride. It’s so refreshing to finish a run knowing you could have gone longer.
Stats
Here are my stats from today’s run:
This was not nearly my best run ever, but it’s the best run I’ve had in weeks. My running workouts have been tough lately, but today was just the dose of encouragement I need to finish the summer strong!
By the way, the shoes pictured above are my current favorite running shoes; Asics Gel Cumulus 21 Lite Show. You can find them here. This isn’t sponsored or anything, they’re just really cool.