Sunday, October 30, 2011

Keys to a good run


I have this problem that when I start a new Harry Potter book, I don’t really want to do anything but read.  While this is great for the relaxation aspect and my mom is problem silently cheering that her daughter who hated reading for awhile when she was younger, is thoroughly enjoying herself but I have things to do!  I’m excited to be on book 5 and I know I’m in the stages where everything slows down because the books get larger but I’m still excited to keep moving forward.
I’m working a spit today so after I finished shift #1, I headed to the gym to make up for what should have been yesterday’s run (cancelled by a migraine).  When I got there, I found I wasn’t feeling super inspired so I started with some abs and lifting before heading to the treadmill.
My legs  and lungs felt pretty good so my desire to stop wasn’t because any part of my body was too tired or in pain to keep going, it was because I was mentally having trouble focusing.  I pushed and pushed and tried my best to focus on my run while losing myself in my music.  I kept telling myself “just another mile - that’s like 3 songs” and sometimes it worked.  I would also remind myself that my legs, joints, and lungs felt strong so there really wasn’t a good reason to stop.  I used as many tactics as I could to overcome the mental hurdle in my run.
And 35 minutes later, I had completed a 3.5 mile run.  Keeping me on track with my 10k training program.
Over the years since I’ve started running and as I’ve worked to increase my mileage, here are a few things I’ve noted make my runs better:
-MIZUNOS
-Being hydrated - I don’t have the desire to drink while running if I’m properly hydrated - at least for my 2-3 mile runs
-Stretch and Warm-up/Cooldown - 5 minute walk before and after run + stretching
-The less clothing the better!  HA! Don’t go there - shorts, tank top + headband (to soak up some of the sweat)

Post run glow (the crop yoga pants today were too much - missed my shorts - WHAT?)

There are many other things that I find help my runs but they aren’t as consistent as the above points which are almost necessary for a good run.

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