What percentage of your runs... (Read 1098 times)

All of my runs are pleasant and enjoyable. Some are slower than others but all are done at a nice easy pace. Tom

What percentage of your runs would you classify as "Pleasant"? You don't feel labored, don't feel like your are straining yourself ext. In my first couple months of running I would probably have told you less than half my runs where pleasant. Now a couple months latter I would say 70% are very comfortable and pleasant. Still for various reason I find some very difficult and labored. I guess we can't be at a 100% every day. Our bodies are damn good but not quite perfect. Experienced runners what would you say your percentage is?

I've only been running 9 months. The first few weeks I had many runs that were laboured, I was trying to get to the 5k distance. Since then I may only have had a half dozen or so runs which were laboured. The first two times I tried running in the morning. I had a bad cough and was freezing once. Ran very late once, after 11:00 pm and was very tired before I even started. Ran right after dinner once, that wasn't a very good experience. Ran into strong head winds a couple of times. First time I tried Fartleks was hard, (Ran them too hard and too long). My only race, a 10k was truely difficult as I gave it all I had. 95% of the time though, I just cruise along.

Good question and one we should all ask ourselves from time to time. I estimate that slightly more than 80% of my runs are done at a comfortable pace. Of the remaining runs that are done at a harder pace only a small percentage of those are what I would classify as “bad”. This is in contrast to a little more than 3 years ago when I resumed serious training after a several year hiatus. For several months a high percentage of my runs felt labored and I often had that “dead legs” feeling. After many peaks and valleys over the past 30 years I’ve always found that the more consistent I am the easier it gets. I actually feel better on 50-60 miles a week, running almost every day, than I have on 15-20 on more of hit and miss basis. The body tends to adapt.

Also I wonder how many here always enjoy running? Many runners don't enjoy it at all till they are done. They force them selfs to do it for what ever reason but never actually like it.

I doubt that anyone always enjoys running, but I almost always do. I look forward to my next run about as soon as I'm finished with my last one, & have been running for about 4 years. Frequently (like tonight), I'll get my runnin' stuff out and ready so I can get out the door quickly in the morning for my 14 miler. It'll be a little bit tough due to heat and humidity, but I'll slow down to help compensate, and will most likely enjoy it even if it becomes difficult during the last part. To answer your OP, probably 90-95% of my runs are "pleasant" because they are at a slower pace for several reasons ( builds endurance thru aerobic conditioning, less strain on the body, reduces injury, I can enjoy my surroundings, etc.). IMHO, the first year or two of running should probably be mostly aerobic base-building, but that's said in hindsight. The few uncomfortable runs for me are usually caused by speed work or by taking on too much. All of us have a bad run occaisionally, and sometimes there just dosen't seem to be a reason why. If I'm sick, injured, or my body says "no" - I don't run; that eliminates a lot of what would turn out to be crappy runs for me. Although I'm rarely at "peak function", I still have many, many excellent runs. I just try to be at my peak for any races that I enter. Trying to be at my peak for all my training would end my running career very quickly! Looks like you're doing well - keep it up!

On good days even a very brisk pace can be pleasant, on a bad day even a slow slog can be very challenging.

You pretty much just summed it all up in that sentence. But That is the Sport of Running. There are days when everything is just Sort of off, and you have to gut through the whole thing, and there are days that are a dream in the day of the sport. To Me, every run is enjoyable because it is a day that I was not at home with my butt on the couch, not moving and challenging myself. Even if the run does not feel like a chart topper at the time.

I'd like to amend my earlier post. A nasty hangover made this morning's run more than a little challenging and at 54 years old I should know better. The good news is that I reached a major milestone in logged miles so I guess than even bad runs can have something good about them. Tom

CONGRATS ON 4000 MILES Tom!!! WOW, What an Inspiration.... with a hangover even..

I started running last spring - could barely go half a mile. When I feel like I'm not progressing, I think back to last summer when every single 3 mile run was hard work and took all I had to complete. Now a 3 miler is an easy, maintenance workout which I can manage any time, any place. This summer I'm working on increasing miles per week and throwing in a 6 mile long run every couple of weeks. They don't all feel great, but I'll feel even crappier if I don't run. Like I told my sister yesterday - it's not a hobby; it's a lifestyle. Laker