It's been a few months, but I'm going to give this another go. In case there's anyone left, I'm going to try to blog weekly. We'll see if I can do it.
I'm in training for a Half Marathon. The race is the Oro Valley Distance Classic and is scheduled March 23. I'm running 3-4 days a week - though sometimes it's once and sometimes it's as many as 5 times. Unlike any other race I've trained for, I'm running with two other new moms. One was an athlete pre baby (tris, 1/2s, marathons, and biking races), and is trying to rediscover her athletic self post-baby and c-section. The other was a biker pre-baby, but hadn't been doing any sort of regular training in a few years. In October she said she wanted to run a mile in December. Within 2 weeks of wogging, we talked her into signing up for the 1/2 in March.
In previous races, I've run for time. I wanted to be faster, fitter, and constantly improving. This time, I'm running with friends and for companionship. We are pacing with our new-mama-runner, who has already improved from 14:30 min/miles to 13 min miles. This is about 3:30-3 minutes slower than I used to run. About 2-2:30 min slower than my current pace.
And you know what? It's awesome. I get to talk with people. I don't hurt all the time. I'm not dead after my long runs.
I try to do speedier runs when on my own, but I really look forward to the slower runs with friends rather than the solo runs where I push myself.
Do I wish I could magically get back to my pre-baby pace? Absolutely. Do I have the time to put in the speed work necessary to get there? Nope. Do I have the consistent schedule of running 5-7 times a week to get there? Nope. Instead I've learned that I love the long, slow slog, and being able to talk with people. I enjoy the run and the company, I unplug from my iPod (you can only listen to to much NPR…), and I'm still getting good workouts in.
I hope that one day my life will settle enough into a reliable routine that I'll be able to train for speed again, but until then I'm loving my current cruising pace.
I'm in training for a Half Marathon. The race is the Oro Valley Distance Classic and is scheduled March 23. I'm running 3-4 days a week - though sometimes it's once and sometimes it's as many as 5 times. Unlike any other race I've trained for, I'm running with two other new moms. One was an athlete pre baby (tris, 1/2s, marathons, and biking races), and is trying to rediscover her athletic self post-baby and c-section. The other was a biker pre-baby, but hadn't been doing any sort of regular training in a few years. In October she said she wanted to run a mile in December. Within 2 weeks of wogging, we talked her into signing up for the 1/2 in March.
In previous races, I've run for time. I wanted to be faster, fitter, and constantly improving. This time, I'm running with friends and for companionship. We are pacing with our new-mama-runner, who has already improved from 14:30 min/miles to 13 min miles. This is about 3:30-3 minutes slower than I used to run. About 2-2:30 min slower than my current pace.
And you know what? It's awesome. I get to talk with people. I don't hurt all the time. I'm not dead after my long runs.
I try to do speedier runs when on my own, but I really look forward to the slower runs with friends rather than the solo runs where I push myself.
Do I wish I could magically get back to my pre-baby pace? Absolutely. Do I have the time to put in the speed work necessary to get there? Nope. Do I have the consistent schedule of running 5-7 times a week to get there? Nope. Instead I've learned that I love the long, slow slog, and being able to talk with people. I enjoy the run and the company, I unplug from my iPod (you can only listen to to much NPR…), and I'm still getting good workouts in.
I hope that one day my life will settle enough into a reliable routine that I'll be able to train for speed again, but until then I'm loving my current cruising pace.
