Recently I have come to a whole new appreciation for rest
and recovery days. I am on day 85 of a running streak that I started a while back to help add some consistency to
my training. When doing a streak, one learns to really appreciate the rest and
recovery days in a whole new way. To keep the streak from becoming too much
like a chore, the easy days are critically important, not just from a physical
standpoint but from a mental one as well.
Let's face it. Most runners, if not Type-A personalities,
are at the very least extremely goal-oriented. Once one starts running
regularly, and especially when one sets a specific time or pace goal, such as
running that first 5k, half marathon, or marathon or setting a PR at any of
those distances, running becomes about the training plan. It becomes bogged
down in miles per day, miles per week, and paces. In the midst of all this, it
is quite easy to lose the joy of the activity.
Easy days and recovery days often become just another set of
miles to be ticked off on the schedule. Often they are run at a pace faster
than they should be because there is a desire to just get them over with. Sometimes
they are dismissed out of hand and replaced with cross training. To do so,
though, is to miss the wonderful opportunity that these days represent.
In one of my favorite books by Thomas Moore called the The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life, Moore argues that in modern
society we have become so analytical and scientific in our society that we miss
the magical and the awe-inspiring in our daily lives and that this
point-of-view does nothing to nourish our souls. He advocates opening the mind
to the enchanting and awe-inspiring in daily life by paying more close
attention to the magical in the things around us.
This message can apply to our running. Recovery days and
easy days are an opportunity to put aside worries about time and distance and
appreciate the wonder in our surroundings or even the wonder of our own bodies
moving across the ground. Many use easy or recovery days as the time to
socialize with fellow runners. This can be a wonderful activity that nourishes
the mind and soul, but there is something to be said about the solitary and
reflective runs, as well. Wonderful opportunities exist if one just is open to
them.
I have discovered a gem of a spot for my recovery
runs. It is a little known park, at least for runners. It is populated mostly
by walkers, many with their puppies in tow, which is fine with me. It has a little of everything: paved trails, grassy trails, packed dirt, a lake, wildlife, and wildflowers.
I had run there several times before I began to appreciate
it as more than just a flat, soft surface. What really helped open my eyes was
that recently, after my two very grueling trail races at Keyes Peak
and Dances with Dirt, I was just physically too wiped out to go fast. I was
forced to slow down to almost a walk, and this gave me plenty of time to look
around. I was amazed at all the things I had been missing and how much there
was there to "enchant" someone who took the time to look.
A second experience that drove this home was a recent run I
had with my friend Kate on this trail. It was her first time. It was also raining and almost dark. We had
the most amazing run, complete with herds of deer, scampering bunnies, and some
very aggressive little frogs. It was really magical. It did way more for my
soul than it did for the body.
So, the next time you are feeling that your running schedule
has become too much, too repetitive, too uninspired, try making a switch to
your attitude on your easy days or recovery runs. Find a place that will
nourish your mind and your spirit and run there. Leave your watch at home if
you can. It will do a lot to infuse joy back into your running.
To get you motivated, I am including a video of my Hawk
Meadow run. (Note: If what you see there are just a bunch of trees, some weeds, and some garden pests destroying someone's field, then your mind and spirit may indeed need some serious re-enchantment.)
Do you have a run that enchants you? I would love to hear where you like to run when you need a mental or spiritual boost.
Do you have a run that enchants you? I would love to hear where you like to run when you need a mental or spiritual boost.
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