I'm training for a half marathon this fall, and trying to catch some momentum. Summer is almost over and everyone seems to feel the tug of life getting back to schedules and responsibilities. That tug for me includes getting my running miles back up.
So this past week I've gotten a few runs in, and yesterday and today I did two back-to-back. Yesterday was a 60 minute run (more of a jog really) and I just went, not particularly focused or driven. This morning, I decided to put my heart into it a bit more and see how far I would get in 36 minutes.
Yesterday's run turned out to be a fairly slow 5 miles (12 minutes per mile... that's a bit lazy). Today, I did 3.6 miles in 36 minutes... right at 10 minutes per mile - that's more like it for my normal pace. It wasn't the 4 miles I was planning for, but it was okay.
Momentum is like that. Anyone committed to a purpose or a cause knows that the perspective you bring to the day will color the results. If positive momentum is with you, you can use that to invigorate the next decision and exertion of effort. If momentum isn't with you, the first task is to turn things in your favor, and then dig in to get and keep things going.
How is your momentum? How about the big-picture purpose you're trying to tackle? Is there something you have been pursuing half-heartedly, and things are flagging? Maybe it's time to dig in and recommit.... bring some creative perspective to the situation. See with new eyes. How can you bring things out of the red and create positive momentum?
For me, I have a month to get more miles on my shoes and wrap my mind around another half-marathon. I love the challenge and I'm digging into it with some steely resolve. I can feel the momentum growing already.
By the Way
For a casual runner like me, a 9 - 10 minute mile is okay. Not stellar, and not terrible.
Check out this page from www.whyIexercise.com on the rating of age groups to average times for a 1.5 mile run (known as the Cooper test):
Cooper Test with Charts & Instructions
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