(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)
“To make time fly, throw your watch out the window”.
(Anonymous)
The start of a new year allows everyone the opportunity to make changes to enhance their daily Walk into the Future. Probably not the most astute thing I’ve ever written but there’s a method to my madness.
I was able to expand my running and fitness programs in 2019 by utilizing multiple training methods. My fitness levels and race times improved monthly in 2019 and I wanted to make sure I made similar gains in 2020. I’ve mentioned the daily, weekly and fitness tracking lists I currently use. I can tell you what day I ran, how far and my exact times going back for a few years now. This process has helped me get faster and mentally tougher but decided to try something new to start 2020. No worries, I still have lists just wanted to experiment with a new tracking approach for my runs.
Wanted my 2020 New Orleans Rock n Roll half marathon preparation to have a fresh feel to it.
Decided to stop recording my training run times to see how much impact it would have on my overall training. I still ran my normal distances (6 miles, 8 miles, 10 miles, etc.) I had already mapped out but didn’t record how fast I ran them in January or early February prior to heading to New Orleans.
Surprised how empowering not checking my pace and time during the training runs turned out to be. The mental freedom this process gave me was refreshing. I ran hard and hit all my mileage goals but didn’t have a clock always ticking to dictate if it was a quality session or not. Was able to determine session quality on my own and still got maximum benefits from my running program.
There were days I was able to run further than I planned because I didn’t have a constant reminder on my wrist showing me how long I had been running. This process will not remain a permanent part of my running program but will utilize again to add something different to my training to keep it from getting stale. Believe the benefits of not keeping time will enhance my long weekend runs (12 miles or more). The constant reminder of how long I’ve been running generates more negative thoughts than the distance of the long runs. So, ditching the time portion of the long run may create the positive results I seek to improve my endurance levels. Inside information, I’m close to signing up for my first full marathon! 😊
This simple change eliminated the concept of time as an obstacle while running. Most days out I’m always chasing or trying to beat a specific time based on the distance. Eliminating the time portion of my run provided a better experience for me to log miles during my training. Got in 110 miles prior to New Orleans without stressing about run times.
2020 New Orleans Rock N Roll Half Marathon (2/9/20)
This new process got me across the finish line at the 2020 New Orleans Rock N Roll Half marathon in great physical and mental spirits. Believe this was my best tactical race so far based on my fresh training approach. I didn’t have any mental blocks holding me back and hit all the milestones I wanted during the race. Technically, I finished over 3 minutes faster than my 2019 New Orleans race with this approach and minimal physical aches. I felt all 13.1 miles of the race but was able to recover a lot quicker than in the past. Started training again 3 days after completing my race in New Orleans.
There’s still a place for TIME in my training program but will not let time determine overall success in 2020. On to my next Rock N Roll venue—Nashville, TN!
How does time impact your daily activities? Are there areas the concept of time hampers outcomes? Curious, thanks!
“Time is precious…waste it wisely”.
(Cherrybam.com)
Walk Into the Future 