How Do You Run?
For a lot of runners, not for me though, being a fun runner, this marks the end the racing season, of marathons in particular, and a lot of runners are dealing with the vast and empty months of winter that lay sprawled ahead with no goals or motivation ahead, wondering how they are going to combat the reduced endorphin induced depression.
photo courtesy of cannelfan
I have been writing a lot about different runners and their approach to running, and my envy of those who are in a more serious running mind set than I am, Like Jack, Who I wrote about here, and who now is contemplating the best strategies to get over the no racing blues.
It seems though, that I am not the only one that is dealing with the question of different attitudes to running, and the different place running occupies in ones life. The lamentor, a NYC marathoner, is also chewing on the question of runners attitudes to running and what makes one a runner in his eyes, except that he is doing from the complete opposite point of view - he is a serious runner, and cant get how you can be exclusively casual towards your running.
I suppose it has a lot to do with when one started running, and what it is each of us get out of it… and not the running itself - goal oriented people would probably tend to be more serious about their running as it is important for them to accomplish things, on the other hand, more casual and relaxed people, who are not as driven by goals end up running casually, for fun.
The reason I want to start running in a little more of a structured way is to help me learn to set goals, and to achieve them, so this ability can be transferred to the rest of my life.
I’m in the same boat, Denise. I’m just jogging along without direction, but I’d really like to get a structured program organised. I find that if I’m too laid back I get nothing done, whether running related or otherwise.
Hi Denise, Thanks for dropping by and leaving your comment. I think my question on the subject was a little different than what you are suggesting but that’s okay. Writing as a form of art is subject to individual interpretation right? My original intended question was more directed toward the question of whether it’d ever be possible for someone who likes the privacy and intimacy of running alone to ever reserve the sport for those occasions only when there’s others to run with. I have friends who’ll not run if there’s no one to run with and will wait until there are people to go with them, so it’s someone of a different approach to the sport than I’ll ever take. As for goal-oriented vs recreation running question, I think it should never be a strict approach either way. As one who’s often categorized in the first group, I think it is easy to forget how runs should be and can be recreation in the middle of a “serious” training cycle…in my experience, once you lose the love, the motivation to train isn’t far behind, and that can sometimes lead to injury. Very cool and perceptive post. Thanks for asking the question.
Laminator - your discussion was associatively somewhat similar to mine in that people who will only run socially and are bored running on there own would also often (not always but often) be runners that are less serious about running, because its the company that motivates them and not the actual running. I tend to agree with you on the goal oriented vs recreational, though unfortunately for me, in running at this stage of my life I am all about fun - not a single goal out their…
A good post, well done. Running is a great way to practice setting and meeting goals. I’m not terribly strict in my goal setting. For example, I didn’t set a goal to run my first sub-four hour marathon this year, rather I set the goal to improve my best time over last year (4:14). I accomplished this goal, and broke 4-hours (twice). I’m serious about my running, but not at the expense of losing the joy of running. I see members in my own club who train hard and are often devastated when they don’t meet their goal in a race. You can see in their eyes that the joy of running has been lost on the way. I feel like taking away their watch and heart rate monitor and sending them off on a lonely trail to try to find their way again.
That is also a good thing to know how do to - what goals to set and how to go about it, in away that will keep the love and fun there.
You know how I feel - at loose ends. Is this the new version of ‘insert witty name here’? I like it!