Sometimes, the smallest changes, often those that seem most ridiculous, can change the way you feel about something. I’ve changed a few things up lately, most of them small, but they’re making a difference in my attitude and approach to my running. Not that I have any attitude problems or issues with my approach. Nope. None.
The truth is like most people, I’m a creature of habit. There are certain things I do the same way, each time. I have a few select running routes- two primary ones, based on distance – and kind of stick to those. I run when I travel, which I love, but I guess I don’t often travel to run, especially when I’m in my own city. Perhaps I should do that, but I digress.
After reading this post on fit for a year, which is a really great blog and you should head over to John’s blog regularly, I have to admit I kind of went “yeah, I know this stuff, but it’s great for him to put it down on electrons for everyone to see”. Then I went out on my run.
It was an interesting run, as it was the first real road test of a pair of New Balance 860 v2 running shoes that I’ve had for nearly a year. I’ve kept them in my locker at my club and only had them on for a handful of treadmill runs and the short jaunt over to my yoga class and back. The verdict is I like them, but new shoes always make your legs feel different than your last shoes – and that change of routine is always interesting and does tend to make me want to get more experience with this new equipment. It’s good change.
On my most recent run, I also threw on a music mix I’ve never run to before, and it was inspiring. Instead of being so familiar with my route, pace and music that I pass certain landmarks during certain portions of the tunes, I lifted my head and ran a little quicker. It helps that this mix, like all the mixes that I run to, comes from podrunner.com, and is therefore set with a slightly higher beat per minute – it helped push me, but not knowing the music, delighting in the music’s discovery, also helped me keep my head up and really enjoy the run. The funk brought me out of my funk, I guess.
Will it work forever? Who the hell knows. This has been a crappy running slump and I’m waiting to catch the enjoyment again. Until then I’ve just got to fake it until I make it. One thing’s for sure, I’m going to keep changing little things up here and there. I’m going to take John’s advice on my next run, and I’m going to run my normal route backwards. As in the opposite way I normally do, not that I’m going to be running backwards. Let’s see what that does to my spirits…
Thanks for the mention!
You’re most welcome, John. I like reading your stuff!