Wednesday, 10 December 2014

Every little run helps

Last Saturday I was due, as normal, to have my long run but things didn't quite work out that way.  As usual I took Hannah over to Linslade for her kayaking on the Grand Union canal but this time there was some ice on the canal.

The club's decision was to hold back for a while, to allow the ice to thaw a little more as there is a danger the boats will get damaged.  This meant I only got a short run in, about 3 or 4 miles instead of the usual 10.  Initially I was feeling a tad disappointed and yet it was the right thing to happen because:

  • I had run 5 or 6 miles the day before with my friend John.  As you know I am his cruel, ruthless and totally mean trainer.  Besides, it's sometimes good to have a day in between runs to avoid injury.


  • It was an opportunity to have a few faster bursts, rather than the long, plodding kind of pace I have on my longer runs.  These faster bursts are great in raising my heart rate to the point I would have difficulty in talking more than a couple of grunts.  At this level it's best to limit these to less than 5 minutes.


  • The scenery was lovely!  A cold, crisp morning and I regret I have no photographs to truly capture the beauty of it.  In fact the only ones I have are:




Sorry, both of these photographs are scraping the barrel somewhat.

Nevertheless this was enough to have that "feel good" sensation and a dose of the Runner's High afterwards.  So another few miles done and an opportunity to think a few things through but nowhere near enough.  Right now I'm having a demanding time at work and I find I'm looking forward to the Christmas holidays more and more.  Although, mentally, I could have done with a longer run, it was not without it's benefit and I'm thankful for that.

Please check out this related post  Running - the benefits of little and often  which outlines more of the above in greater detail.  This post proves there is truth in this: for the regular or aspiring runner, every run does bring benefit and it's important to believe that.

Also related:
Note to self: I'm a runner, I need to run
Running in the winter

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