I have had a pretty tiring week that has bled into Saturday morning, so I was looking forward to today's run. I didn't have far to go to get my weekly miles, but found myself dithering when it was time to leave the house. I usually don't really have to think about where I'm going, but just couldn't make a decision. So I broke one of my rules. I've only got two.
There are loads of 'rules' about running. Doing it off and on for years, I've learnt that most don't seem to have a great deal of depth to them. I'm not going to go through them systematically - thereby revealing my ignorance and stupidity - instead, I'll just say what my two rules are.
1. Don't use runs instrumentally.
That means run because you like running. Doing it for a reason is the fastest route to falling out of love with it. If you're trying to lose weight, or something like that, there is a good chance that you will be disappointed.
2. Go fast OR far - never do both on the same run.
This one is simple, if you want to run faster than normal, don't do it on the same day that you are doing your longer run.
Anyway, I broke both today. Like I was on an adventure in a preschooler's primer - I ran to the shops, all the way to Covent Garden. I went faster than I have done for weeks (probably because I wasn't running while at work - I have been sneaking in Crab & Winkle Way adventures into my lunch hours.) Today, I finished my 8 miles at the Paul Smith Shop and my runner's high got the better of me. I emerged 10 minutes later swinging bags of shopping. Train home - all done.
An expensive way to run, but what a brilliant day.
This is the run.
What running rules do you like breaking?
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| The Crab and Winkle Way - the path is lined with brambles, so as long as you don't mind a few cobwebs, you can feast on blackberries. |
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