Am I the tortoise or the hare? Or, A Search for my Running Identity
Last weekend, I ran the longest distance I'd ever run up to that point: 5.8 miles. It was wonderful and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a beautiful day, I ran a new route and saw new sights I had never seen, and I thoroughly tired my muscles. Coming back home, I had that happy tired runner's high feeling. Then I mapped out my route on Google Maps, divided the time it took me by the distance I ran, and discovered that I had averaged almost a 13-minute mile. This is only slightly faster than my running pace at 36 weeks pregnant, and I'm now 4 months postpartum. Holy buzzkill, Batman!
Now, this was a leisurely weekend run, meant to give me a break from the daily grind, not intended to set new records for speed. Plus I knew this was going to be a new distance record for me, so I was deliberately being a bit on the conservative side with my pace. My goal as a runner has never been speed; it has always been to just get out, burn calories, and promote my mental health. I achieved the getting out, the burning calories, and the mental health promotion. So why should I worry about speed?
Weelll... because there's this tiny little competitive part of me that wants to be faster. It's complete vanity, I admit... but it does hurt your pride a little to always be finishing at the back of the pack.
So... last weekend I considered setting a goal to get faster. Part of that goal would be achieved by losing some weight (which I'm already trying to do, as you can see by the ticker in the right sidebar). Aside from anything to do with running, my goal was already to lose 10-15 more pounds (lots of reasons why-- but that's another post for another day). Losing weight in and of itself would inevitably make me a bit faster, I think. The rest of becoming a faster runner would probably involve some speed training.
And then I went for another run today that made me re-think things a bit. I set a new distance record-- 7 miles. My brother Ben and I ran it together. Ben isn't a super competitive runner, but he's definitely the fastest guy I know. He was kind enough to allow me to set the pace, though, and we chatted the whole time. It was amazing how the miles just flew by. He was so encouraging too, and made me realize that, although I wasn't fast, I am in decent shape... I was able to complete 7 miles running at a steady pace, and I was still talking by the end. I wasn't completely winded, panting, and collapsing. I feel tired now, but not obliterated. And hey, that counts for something, right?
I think the thing that made me feel the best about today's run was that it was so enjoyable. If I had pushed myself to run faster it would not have been so much fun. When I do get the chance to get a break from being a mommy and get out the door for a run, I want it to be fun. I don't want to stress about the fact that I'm not fast. I would be interested in increasing my distance, but the problem with running at a slow pace is that longer distances take time (something I don't have a lot of as a mommy, especially while I'm nursing). But I take what I can get.
Realistically, I don't really have the time or mental organization to put together a speed training schedule, and I don't have the money to register for a lot of races. What I do have is a pair of running shoes, and a desire to stay active. And the great outdoors.
So, I think if I had to choose right now, I'd choose tortoise. Maybe I'll try a few speed intervals on my next run, but maybe not. What I will definitely do is enjoy myself (and burn a few calories to boot).
Any other tortoises out there?
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| (Stolen from my friend Sarah) |
Now, this was a leisurely weekend run, meant to give me a break from the daily grind, not intended to set new records for speed. Plus I knew this was going to be a new distance record for me, so I was deliberately being a bit on the conservative side with my pace. My goal as a runner has never been speed; it has always been to just get out, burn calories, and promote my mental health. I achieved the getting out, the burning calories, and the mental health promotion. So why should I worry about speed?
Weelll... because there's this tiny little competitive part of me that wants to be faster. It's complete vanity, I admit... but it does hurt your pride a little to always be finishing at the back of the pack.
So... last weekend I considered setting a goal to get faster. Part of that goal would be achieved by losing some weight (which I'm already trying to do, as you can see by the ticker in the right sidebar). Aside from anything to do with running, my goal was already to lose 10-15 more pounds (lots of reasons why-- but that's another post for another day). Losing weight in and of itself would inevitably make me a bit faster, I think. The rest of becoming a faster runner would probably involve some speed training.
And then I went for another run today that made me re-think things a bit. I set a new distance record-- 7 miles. My brother Ben and I ran it together. Ben isn't a super competitive runner, but he's definitely the fastest guy I know. He was kind enough to allow me to set the pace, though, and we chatted the whole time. It was amazing how the miles just flew by. He was so encouraging too, and made me realize that, although I wasn't fast, I am in decent shape... I was able to complete 7 miles running at a steady pace, and I was still talking by the end. I wasn't completely winded, panting, and collapsing. I feel tired now, but not obliterated. And hey, that counts for something, right?
I think the thing that made me feel the best about today's run was that it was so enjoyable. If I had pushed myself to run faster it would not have been so much fun. When I do get the chance to get a break from being a mommy and get out the door for a run, I want it to be fun. I don't want to stress about the fact that I'm not fast. I would be interested in increasing my distance, but the problem with running at a slow pace is that longer distances take time (something I don't have a lot of as a mommy, especially while I'm nursing). But I take what I can get.
Realistically, I don't really have the time or mental organization to put together a speed training schedule, and I don't have the money to register for a lot of races. What I do have is a pair of running shoes, and a desire to stay active. And the great outdoors.
So, I think if I had to choose right now, I'd choose tortoise. Maybe I'll try a few speed intervals on my next run, but maybe not. What I will definitely do is enjoy myself (and burn a few calories to boot).
Any other tortoises out there?
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