The First Hill

I hit my first "hill" a couple of weeks ago. I was really busy with a conference and couldn't run for several days. I had a scheduled long run for the afternoon after the conference ended but I was just too tired and, honestly, didn't feel like running.

The feeling seeped into the next day and the next. And instead of forcing myself to get out there, I decided just to let myself have a break. Maybe it was my body's way of telling me it needed a deep breath. It made me a little nervous because I have this plan. This plan down to a "t" of how many miles to run and the weekly percentage increase and I just sort of threw it in the trash for a week.

So when I did finally decide to lace up the running shoes (new running shoes, by the way), I committed myself to a shorter run as a reward for just getting out there. But to my surprise, I changed my route mid-run and went an extra mile and a half. I called it an "ad-lib" run and I've done a couple since then. I've been so concerned with running a set amount of miles that I wasn't really allowing myself to venture off the path a little (literally and figuratively) so that I could actually enjoy the run.

A few days after that first ad-lib run, I jumped into a long run--6 miles, a new "record" length. And I felt great. Since then, I've been a little less rigid with my schedule and I take a rest day when my body (and my mind) tell me that it's needed. Today I did a seven mile long run and it was fantastic. There were no negative thoughts and I kept a steady 8:45 pace.

So, what I guess I've learned is that for every uphill there's a downhill. And that if I keep my eye on my watch and my milage, I might just miss the point of running: the colors of summer, the grass and the houses, the feeling of the pavement and the breeze, the laughter of kids and the chirping of birds (and the yelling of idiots out their car windows). So once I get through that tough uphill, I have to raise my head and look around at the beauty from the apex and enjoy the smooth run back down.