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11 29 2017 Running Through My Thoughts


This week, I am training to get ready for a new goal: averaging 6 miles a day per month starting in December. It is a goal that just sprung up on me while reading the memoir by Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I talk About Running. In his book, he discusses how he approached his marathon training and this is how he started. What I like about this approach is that it allows for flexibility to be worked into a disciplined goal. He highlights his use of the word average because some days (he makes sure to run 6 out of 7 days) he will do more miles and others less.  Either way, the mileage will work out to average at least 6 miles daily.

Yesterday I did not run. In the very recent past, I would have let this eat away at me to no end until I was miserable. Now, however, I know that should I choose not to run on a certain day, then I just have to make it up over the week.  This way of thinking helps to take some of the mental weight off of me when I am coaching myself up. Now I tell myself there are more days in the week and I will meet this mileage especially now since it is my goal and I am not one to take goal achievements lightly.

Another tool I have to meet this goal is my running club.  I was reluctant for so long to join a running club but finally did  earlier this year after reading several running books and blogs that encourage doing so.  I am so grateful that I fought my stubbornness because I absolutely love this group. By joining this group, I have found like minds and do not have to worry about talking incessantly about running and all that it entails, because they are so ok with it. I have learned to love running with a group of great people who make the miles seem at times almost effortless. Listening to different stories while running helps keep our minds distracted as we tick off the miles.

Many runners in my group are training for full marathons. I am not one of them, but since I love to run with my running buddies, I will run whatever distance they are running. This Saturday they are supposed to run 20 miles. I will try my hardest to go the distance with them. I know it will not be easy; especially knowing the farthest I have run with them is 16 miles.  That 16-mile run was epic for me because I had not planned to run that far but decided to do it after much prodding from my running buddies. Until then, the farthest I had run was 10 miles.  I felt pretty good after we finished and my legs felt stronger than I expected. Much to my delight and possibly my husband’s dismay, I finally believe that I am ready to tackle a full marathon sooner than later.

“Learn to love the long run” is a mantra I saw on our local high school-cross country’s team shirts and I have.

This morning I ran 6.0 miles in thick fog. It was pretty cool and eerie. What made it even more mystical was running past outdoor Christmas lights.  My adventures in running continue…

This week’s running total so far: 12.2 miles.

My running inspiration today: Trevor Spencer’s recap of his experience during the Munich Marathon on the MTA podcast library.
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