Juddmansee.com

Despite the encouragement of active.com, I’ve been flailing a bit on committing to a training and racing plan for the year. It’s not that I’ve been slacking on workouts – I’ve actually run at least twice a week since mid-November with the exception of a 10-day hiatus after the Disney half marathon. For some reason I’m just hesitant to nail down a plan. One of the running forum suggestions was to write down the reasons you run, like a mission statement, to help motivate and focus you. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, so here goes.

1. Mental health
I like the way running helps me focus. I can process what’s going on at work, reflect on theology, pray, sing, or just zone out. I handle life better when I’m running regularly.

2. Physical health
I crave healthier foods, I feel better, I look better, and my systems all seem to work better when I’m exercising regularly. Running is the easiest and most natural way I have found to stay in shape. It’s also good for my long term health – blood pressure, weight and bone density in particular. And let’s not forget the elation of runner’s high – Jop Jop Jop!

3. Social
I *really* like running with friends. I’m more likely to go running in the first place and the run passes more quickly. A buddy can be a good pacer to avoid going out too fast, or to keep me going when I’m feeling slow. I also like to be a good influence by encouraging others to get out and run.

4. Mental toughness
There are plenty of times in our lives when we need to do something that we just don’t want to do. It might be cleaning a frighteningly messy space, having an honest conversation about a difficult topic, or just tackling a task in stride instead of procrastinating. When I compare an icky chore with, say, running a hilly 10K in the wind when it’s 10 degrees and dark at 6am, I feel like I am capable of almost anything, even that once daunting task.

5. Competition
I thought a lot about this one. I typically enjoy going at my own pace, using races every year or two as a deadline/motivator. Last year we raced a lot, so I got to regularly experience butterflies before the start, the rush of adrenaline in that first mile, the fun of picking off other runners, and the satisfaction of improving over past efforts. Of course I also experienced with helplessness and chagrin the results of not hydrating, eating or pacing well. I’ve been comfortable to be a pretty decent runner for someone who doesn’t train regularly. I’m a little afraid of putting in more effort and not getting much better – it’s safer to say I don’t care about my times or meeting my goals. But I think I’m ready to say that competition does matter to me, I do want to be stronger and faster, and that even when I make mistakes, I can use them to fuel my next run.

So, now that I’ve said that publicly, I’ll set a goal for myself to post at least once a month on how I’m doing.

Last week’s main accomplishment was to set a running plan for the week and invite co-workers to come along. I ended up running four times (1 by myself, 2 at work with colleagues, 1 with Beej) = 24 miles + 1 yoga session. I already sent my running plan for this week to my co-workers, focusing on days when it would be too easy to skip out due to a busy schedule. My goal for February is to get in 3 runs (or snow shoe outings) + 1 yoga or strength workout each week.