I’m looking pretty slow here at mile 21 of the Ventura Marathon.
Upon further thought it is time to add a little bit more… that going slow is not everything! No, in addition to those slow and easy runs, we also need to run fast! For me this means one day a week of really hard track workouts, plus the occasional race pace runs.
I’m still pretty new to attempts to run at varying speeds. Last week it was running at the speed with which I would race a mile (400 or one lap), followed by a 5k race pace(1200 or three laps), and then repeat the sequence a couple more times. Sometimes the workout is longer distances at maybe a 10k pace. Usually my first thought is, “I don’t really know my mile or 5k or 10k or whatever pace.” That’s because I don’t run too many races and I feel as if I’m getting faster each week (maybe its all in my head!).
The important point is that to improve as runners we need to run at a variety of paces…with the majority of runs done at an easy pace. I’ve been running for about 4 years and I never really understood this.
So the advice for today is to learn to enjoy the slow, but don’t forget to season with some speed.
As I think about this running advice I can’t help but think about how this might apply to other areas of my life. Slow…slow…slow…fast…slow…slow…slow…fast. It’s a nice pattern and a nice reminder that we don’t always have to do everything the same way. Some days we rush and others we don’t. Sometimes we are hanging out with lots of people and other times we cherish our alone time. Some days our prayers are filled with conversation with God and other days we commune in silence. Slow…slow…slow…fast…slow…slow…slow…fast.
What kind of patterns do you see in your own life? How has running (or other physical exercise) helped you in other areas?
