Running My Own Race
Hey there - you've got Vanessa this week. I don't know if you've noticed, but summer has really been announcing its presence with authority! When these kinds of sustained temps hit, it becomes even more important to listen to your body: what to eat, when to drink, and what types of movement/physical activity make the most sense for you at the time.
This time of year it's a struggle for me to engage in running regularly, even though it's one of my preferred forms of movement. My breath is less efficient, my legs and feet are heavier, and it's a struggle to get up to a pace I deem "worth it", whatever that means. All of this leads to a run that at best I have diminished enjoyment of, and at worst...well, I actively hate. :)
I usually try to get out there early in the morning, but when it's 72 degrees at 6 AM, even that turns into a no-fun run for me (my fave running temps are in the 30s, if that gives a little more insight). Buuuuuut I feel a lot better about the day ahead when I get a run in, so what's a person to do?
A potential solution came to me pretty recently, and it was accidental. I forgot to charge my running watch, and didn't realize it until I was basically out the door - so I decided to just run without it. Even though the humidity was somewhere around 157343%, I didn't completely hate the run! I didn't get bogged down in thinking about how slow I was or how far I was going. I just ran, got home, and went on with my day feeling pretty good and enjoying whatever brain boost I get from the early-morning activity.
This seems pretty obvious in retrospect, but I just needed to put it into practice: on some days, run without a watch. Don't monitor pace at all. Just run. Listening to my body and not my watch means slowing down when I need to and speeding up when I want to. It also means that I am not checking my pace and feeling bad about it - I am not thinking about my run in black and white terms like good or bad. It just IS, and that's ok.
Most activity is a net positive, and any is more than none. Running without a watch helps me realize that I chose this form of exercise because I actually enjoy being out before the city wakes up, journeying on my own power, and musing through thoughts as my body is working. What movement activities do you love? Why do you love them? Sometimes we all just need a little reminder of why we do what we do.