Sorry for the amount of posts...but every week brings questions (Read 702 times)

On number one: doesn't that feel great when you've run farther or faster than ever before? Maybe it was the day off. Who knows. I'll leave it to others to chime in with the listen to your body comments. Oops. On number two: Carbs, Carbs, Carbs. I love carbs. It's one of the many reasons I love running.

After hacking at this thing called running for a couple of years, my two biggest questions remain: Why was that run so great? Why did that run suck so badly? I love to improve form and time and I do think about it a lot, but there are so many variables that I've nearly given up trying to answer either question. As a hack, it's more art than science and for my goals that's OK. My first priority is to run injury free (so I can keep going and going...) and so far so good. You can see significant improvements periodically, if you run regularly you'll just hit these breakthrough periods where the cumulative effect of your efforts shows up in a sudden and dramatic fashion. I think runners are 50% physical and 100% mental ( ) and you can hit a breakthrough when improvements in these two areas coincide. Everybody knows that where there are peaks, valleys are sure to be found as well. You can learn just as much (if not more) about yourself when your performance is off. At this point your scientific/analytical skills (and advice from wicked smaht people on RA) can be really important. If you consider your performance to be subpar it's tempting to drive yourself like a rented mule as "punishment", but that can easily lead to injury and time on the bench. For a deceptively simple sport it really is physically and mentally challenging, and offers virtually unlimited opportunity for self-discovery. Balance is good, and your expectations after an exceptional run shows an understanding of this. Do take time to reflect on your achievement, savor the moment and let it fuel your efforts. There will undoubtedly be more, but you will find these kinds of improvements will become more and more difficult to achieve. Melt some chocolate, dip some strawberries and enjoy.