Enjoying the miles....

Boy, did the marathon take it out of me!

It was Tuesday before I ran again, a 5 miler.  I ran after work, and still had soreness from last Friday.   I didn't enjoy it at all.  It felt like I was just running to 'add to the total', if you get what I mean.  It felt like a chore, something to endure.  At the end of the run there was no feeling of accomplishment, just sheer relief, which wasn't good.

Wednesday was a no-go, but Thursday
nights are always good because I run with Frank, my brother-in-law, and we always have a good chin wag and catch-up.  I always enjoy my Thursday night run with Frank!  We ran 5 miles together, bringing my weekly total to 10.

On Friday after work, I ran again, and I felt like I wanted to run for the enjoyment, for that post-run high.....and boy did it come!  Leaving the working week behind, I ran a really fast 5-miler, and really sweated it out!  Well, fast for me....

I also felt like I wanted to get a 'long one in' on Saturday, so I set my Saturday target for 10 miles.

Maybe it was because it was a rainy day.  Or maybe because I wasn't worrying about pace.  Or maybe it was because things just felt right.  But I absolutely loved my Saturday run.  So much so, that with a half mile to go, I decided to pick up Honey, my dog, and churn out another 3 miles..................I ran a half-marathon!

I enjoyed it so much.  The feeling of freedom.  The sense of achievement.  The 'being exposed to the elements'.  Enjoying the countryside.  Such a good feeling.  Such fun.

In a week where I've felt tired by running,  I'm now feeling confident about my running.  I need to keep that feeling as much as possible, because there will come a point where I will think 'Whose bright idea is this?'  Enjoying the running and keeping a passion for it is what's key.  Intrinsic motivation.

It's just 2 weeks to go now until the 31-miler in London.  I'm really excited about the event.  I've ran 159 miles so far this year, most of them on my own.  All of the miles have been local as well, so an actual race is something to look forward to.