Being goal oriented and being a road runner go really well together. Running on the road is all about the numbers- keeping your legs turning over at exactly your goal pace is something that is very easy to track, and even obsess about. If you keep an eye on your watch, you'll know right away if you're starting to drop your pace, and you can adjust. The training is great for that too- very defined workouts with prescribed paces that you can focus on. When I was trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I was very focused on the the numbers I needed. I stuck to my training plan religiously, and would kill myself in the workouts to hit the paces I needed in order to run a BQ time.
Then I shifted gears from roads to trails..........
The goals (at least for me) when running on trails are a bit less easy to quantify. When I was running a marathon, I knew down to the second what I would consider a successful race, but on trails, it's quite different. I still want to perform well, and place well, but more than that I want to enjoy the experience. I want to be happy during the race. I want to chat with cool people. I want stop and look at amazing scenery. I want to enjoy a beautiful sunrise.
Over the last couple of years, my training has changed a bit as my attitude toward running has changed. Now that I'm more about enjoying the experience than nailing the workout, if in the middle of a run, my dog wants to go for a quick swim, we'll stop so she can jump in the lake. Maybe I'll jump in too. If the sunrise is particulalry beautiful, I'll stop and get a photo of it. 3 years ago that never would have happened.
I know that my speed has dropped a bit, and I may have swung a bit too far in the other direction, but I'm running happier now than I was before. Right now I'm in a down season, so I'm taking it a bit easy. I'm still getting out 5 or 6 times per week, but it's nice and easy, and just kind of maintaining a base level of fitness before starting to ramp up again around Christmas. I think that I'll try to get back some of the intensity that I had in previous years of marathon trainining as I'd love to do well in my 2016 races, but I don't want to lose sight of focussing on enjoying the experience, and not just the results.
Then I shifted gears from roads to trails..........
The goals (at least for me) when running on trails are a bit less easy to quantify. When I was running a marathon, I knew down to the second what I would consider a successful race, but on trails, it's quite different. I still want to perform well, and place well, but more than that I want to enjoy the experience. I want to be happy during the race. I want to chat with cool people. I want stop and look at amazing scenery. I want to enjoy a beautiful sunrise.
Over the last couple of years, my training has changed a bit as my attitude toward running has changed. Now that I'm more about enjoying the experience than nailing the workout, if in the middle of a run, my dog wants to go for a quick swim, we'll stop so she can jump in the lake. Maybe I'll jump in too. If the sunrise is particulalry beautiful, I'll stop and get a photo of it. 3 years ago that never would have happened.
I know that my speed has dropped a bit, and I may have swung a bit too far in the other direction, but I'm running happier now than I was before. Right now I'm in a down season, so I'm taking it a bit easy. I'm still getting out 5 or 6 times per week, but it's nice and easy, and just kind of maintaining a base level of fitness before starting to ramp up again around Christmas. I think that I'll try to get back some of the intensity that I had in previous years of marathon trainining as I'd love to do well in my 2016 races, but I don't want to lose sight of focussing on enjoying the experience, and not just the results.