Get a New Plan, Stan...
Running-wise, I am soooo bored of December.
The idea of "just running" was fun for a little while - five to six miles over lunch, sometimes pushing the pace, but sometimes not - not giving myself a hard time when I missed two days in a row and being mildly pleased when I'd done three.
But frankly, I'm sick of it. Though I planned to run over lunch today, I didn't and the simplest reason I can think of is because I didn't have anything planned that was genuinely easier or harder or different than what I did the few past few days.
Fitness-wise, I'm stagnating. I'm too bored to go slow on the easy days but without a plan I'm not doing any hard intervals, either. Consequently, every day is medium-ish which - if you've read - is a great way to hurt yourself and/or burn yourself out. Mission accomplished. :)
The good news, though, is that the end is in sight. The plan right now is to go six tomorrow and get up early for a Sunday AM eight. It's been a while since I've done that. Next week, I'm not going to get crazy with a plan because who needs that kind of pressure over Christmas, though I expect I'll run a handful of days. And then next weekend, the next "plan" begins - and not a moment too soon.
Oh - one more piece of great news. We just hired a guy at work that I used to run with. We're quite close pace-wise and I'm hopeful that we'll be able to hit some runs together which will also help, motivation-wise.
The idea of "just running" was fun for a little while - five to six miles over lunch, sometimes pushing the pace, but sometimes not - not giving myself a hard time when I missed two days in a row and being mildly pleased when I'd done three.
But frankly, I'm sick of it. Though I planned to run over lunch today, I didn't and the simplest reason I can think of is because I didn't have anything planned that was genuinely easier or harder or different than what I did the few past few days.
Fitness-wise, I'm stagnating. I'm too bored to go slow on the easy days but without a plan I'm not doing any hard intervals, either. Consequently, every day is medium-ish which - if you've read - is a great way to hurt yourself and/or burn yourself out. Mission accomplished. :)
The good news, though, is that the end is in sight. The plan right now is to go six tomorrow and get up early for a Sunday AM eight. It's been a while since I've done that. Next week, I'm not going to get crazy with a plan because who needs that kind of pressure over Christmas, though I expect I'll run a handful of days. And then next weekend, the next "plan" begins - and not a moment too soon.
Oh - one more piece of great news. We just hired a guy at work that I used to run with. We're quite close pace-wise and I'm hopeful that we'll be able to hit some runs together which will also help, motivation-wise.
Hang in there! Maybe you can try adding some fartlek intervals to liven up your workouts, or leave your watch etc behind and just enjoy the freedom of a run on your easy day. I'm glad to hear you will soon have a running buddy. And thanks for the Triabetes shout-out! We hope that the project will help everyone, not just triathletes. And, anyway, I am really a runner at heart myself. :) (although I'd have to say cycling has found a big place in my heart as well. ah shucks, swimming too!)
ReplyDeleteMaking a plan I think is key, even over the holidays. Following it exactly is where I get in trouble. Not feeling well or Feeling a new ache somewhere and I continue in with my plan. Then I end up with a real injury. Give yourself to permission to change the plan as circumstances dictate.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas
Thanks for the note, Anne! Happy Holidays to you, too, Greg!
ReplyDeleteyeah ... you gotta have a plan, otherwise its all just willy-nilly. glad to hear the next plan is just around the corner! i hate running without a plan!
ReplyDeleteI agree variety is key. I was getting really bored with running when I worked in Philly for a few months and ended up running the same loop 3-4 times a week.
ReplyDeleteAre you still thinking of doing a hybrid Fitzgerald/FIRST training plan for the Lehigh Valley HM?