Today’s Run
Time – 1:01:11
Distance – 6.4 miles
Pace – 9:33 min/mi
Elevation – Treadmill at 1%
Easy run today. Set the treadmill at 9:40 pace and shifted up and down by 1 MPH to mix it up a little for my legs. The watch and the treadmill still don’t quite match, but it’s close enough for me. The run wasn’t too tough, and while the middle miles were a little mind-numbing, once I got past 4.5, I knew I could get to 10K and beyond.
Winning makes everything easier
I like to watch hockey when it’s on, or when I can catch a Blues game. I’m not diehard, to be sure, as I only go to a game once every other year or so, and I don’t make the games Must-See-TV. But I do ask for them to be put on when I’m at the gym. This makes for something interesting for my mind to do while I’m basically flailing in place on the treadmill.
The more important point here, though, has to do with distraction. I’m still at that point where a run requires that I get distracted in order for them to be doable. I don’t know if it’s this way for everyone, but I know that for me, I need to be thinking about something else or doing something else. I’m still not good at concentrating on the task at-hand when it comes to running. I don’t have the study of pace down, and I’m not completely in-tune with what my body is telling me in terms of speed and capability. Maybe it never will be something I can do.
I’d like to think that running DOES require a certain amount of effort mentally, and not just to push through and finish. I’m curious about the intellectual and focused side of running. How much does one need to understand about the body’s systems? Does that knowledge help, or is that a coaching thing? As much as some other sports seem to be nothing but power and instinct, (i.e. football, hockey, and other contact sports), I once heard an interview with Wayne Gretzky about how he studied the game. He made it a point to understand the nuances of where the puck went, what the motions of the players would do in relation to speed and direction, and how he could take advantage of the changes that happened on the ice.
Running, being a much less complicated endeavor, doesn’t have the same contact, inter-player relationships, or goals as hockey. My question is, though, can running be studied?
Yes, this will be a bit of an open-ended blog post, but it’s also one to which I’m sure I’ll return. The idea of it intrigues me.
I Will Run Today 