I think I mentioned this the other day, but one of the challenges for me (and every other runner) is figuring out what works as I get older. As a longtime proponent of “more is better,” that approach just doesn’t seem to work as well for me anymore. It “works” for a few days, but then I get exhausted. This week I’m trying to balance taking advantage of the great weather with making sure I’m recovered from 4 hours of exercise during the weekend (2 hours fat biking and 2 hours running, on Saturday and Sunday, respectively). Yesterday I really wanted to take advantage of temps in the mid-20s and go for an hour fat bike ride at lunch. However, I felt tired when I woke up and opted for a nap over lunch instead. I’m sure it was the right decision physically, but it’s tough to pass us those nice weather days in December when you live in Minnesota.
I’ve been thinking about a couple of things that I’ve been
missing lately. One is just that feeling of being fit. Not that I’m out of
shape right now – in fact, in some ways I think I’m stronger than when I was
running fast. But without a real race schedule lately, I haven’t had the
feeling when you know you’re super fit. Of course, it’s only December so that
feeling will have to wait. However, I made it official yesterday and registered
for Grandma’s Marathon. So hopefully, come June, I’ll have that feeling again.
The other thing I’ve been missing is the process of writing,
which is one of the reasons I started to blog again. But I miss writing
articles for MDRA (now Run Minnesota), interviewing local age groupers for my
other blog, and just trying to collect my thoughts in cohesive blog posts. I
feel like I have more to share – but I’m not sure if I have the right mediums
any longer. Run Minnesota no longer has its magazine and I think people would
rather listen to a podcast than read an interview. Instagram and social media
are nice, but I’m more about connecting through words than images. I wish I had
an eye for photography and the skills to take great photos, but even if I did,
I’d probably forget my camera at home most of the time.
Quote of the day;
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
4 comments:
You are certainly all in now by signing up for Grandma's. It's good to have something out ahead of you. When age became a factor I chose training plans that were short, like 8-10 weeks. If speedwork was done I also didn't time anything under a mile. Sometimes it was simply 6-8 × 3:00, or 4-5 × 5:00. Whatever felt right.
Yeah, my 20 week plan might be a little long, but hopefully with lots x-c skiing and biking included it won't feel that long. I like the idea of not timing shorter speedwork. I figure as long as I'm putting in some type of effort - other than just easy running - then I'm moving my fitness in the right direction.
Hey Chad, Longtime fan of your interviews here. Whatever you're writing, I'm interested in reading.
Heide, you're too kind. I have thoughts of doing more interviews, but then I wonder if blogs are still the right forum for that type of thing. I do go back and read some of them from time to time and still think it was one of the best ideas I've ever had.
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