It's Supposed to be Fun

            For some reason I got it stuck in my head a long time ago that I was a real runner if I made it to 20 miles per week. Probably something I read in one of the running magazines that said it should be easier to lose weight if you run that much or more. This sounded good to my ears, given that I was overweight as a kid and got picked on for it. I didn’t really focus on eating or my other habits—just get to that number and you’ll be fine.

            That was my mindset as I achieved my weekly goal of 20+ miles for 29 consecutive weeks in 2016-17. That’s about 689 miles over nearly seven months miles when additional miles north of 20 are included. I worked hard, ran five times most weeks, and made sure I got out there when the weather was cold (for Georgia) and when Mother Nature turned up the temperature. I ran in Houston when K-State played in the Texas Bowl, in Kansas City for my niece’s wedding, and clicked off a sub-22:00 5K on a steamy Saturday morning in March.

            So I’m very proud of my effort level.

            My mistake is that I focused too sharply on the goal and not on the fact that running is supposed to be fun. I always enjoyed stepping outside my door and taking off, but I didn’t allow myself much deviation in the routes I chose. I have a couple of four-mile courses, two that are five miles, plus various loops I can use to add a little extra distance as needed. It was good running, it just got to be monotonous. That plus some life changes ended my streak the first week in June.

            Giving myself permission to not run took a little getting used to. I felt like I had to get out there or I would get fat and out of shape. Like I was chasing something that shouldn’t be chased. That I would become the 11-year old kid on the playground that I used to be.

            But I’m relaxing now as I work back into things, just with less structure and intensity. I am making a greater effort to run socially—I ran with our Fleet Feet group at 7 AM on the Fourth of July, and I met the group at a local pizza shop for a three-miler that has a free beer at the end. Plus I’m giving myself the OK to not run if I feel like it. I feel like my fitness level hasn’t really dropped off—my paces and splits are about the same.

            I’m still setting goals though, just lowering the bar to between 15-20 miles a week and creating less stress and more fun in my life.