Changing running goals with changing schedules

 I have to say that there were some advantages to the pandemic.  I had my mornings free to sleep as long as my body wanted, enjoy a leisurely coffee, do a little reading, meditation, and exercise, and set my intention for the day.  Now that I have to be to work by 7:00 am things have changed.  Instead of reading the newspaper I skim the headlines or my Google feed.  I only manage to get half a cup of joe before my morning run, and my run has been cut from 6 miles to 3. 

 Honestly, that’s probably for the better.  I’ve been working on my long slow distance, at a heart rate of 130-135 (based on the Maffetone method), for 5-7 miles at a time, but I have a feeling it's time to change it up a bit.  In the past, three miles hardly seemed worth lacing up my shoes, but unless I want to wake up at 4:30 (which I don’t—prioritizing sleep is number one these days!) that’s all I have to work with. 

 Anyway, this week I decided to shake things up a little.  I know about the benefits of interval training for building speed and boosting metabolism, but forgot about how fun it can be.  I inserted some sections of faster running into the miles and had a blast.  I warmed up for a half a mile, and then ran from landmark to landmark—a corner here, a lightpost there, alternating fast with slow, until I was a half mile from home, at which point I slowed down again to let my heartrate return to normal.  By the time I got home I felt like my brain was revved up and ready to go, and instead of feeling worn out I felt primed for more.  I won’t do this every day, but a couple times a week is doing my brain and body good!

Instead of running a marathon this year with 26,000 of my closest friends and compromising my immune system in the process, I think I'll focus on building my speed again.  Maybe a fast 5K in the spring would be fun...

We'll see what "Rona" has in store for us and keep trying to be patiently flexible.

Hugs, friends :)

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