"Mel Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:Last week it gave me a buzz to be able to run for 30 minutes, because
that seemed like such a long time when I took this up less than 2 months
ago. But this week I've got really bored with running about the same
distance every day. Running on trails instead of roads was fun, but
since I run from my door there are only a couple of routes I can reach
in the length of time I can run. That's a good incentive to extend my
range I suppose.
I admit it, I get sick and tired of running in the streets of LA. During
the week I drive about 15 minutes to the Hollywood hills which has 20 miles
of dirt trails. On weekends, I drive about 30 minutes to more exotic
locales.
Running the same old pace, day after day, is mind numbing. I always
alternate hardish/easy days. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are my harder
days, and the others are just easy recovery.
Quoted message said:Next week I'm going to try an intensity session, and I think I'll try
different ones every week for a while.
If you don't do too many minutes of actual hard stuff (say only 10-15
minutes of higher pace running), you can do this twice a week, which adds
interest to the schedule.
Quoted message said:I've been reading books and
magazines and I've become familiar with terms such as pickups, tempo
runs, hill training, fartlek. But I don't know what they're actually
like to do.
There's one way to find out...just don't work too hard (never strain -- just
go faster and breathe a bit harder. If your legs burn or your form
deteriorates, you're going too fast.). And don't do too many minutes of
faster stuff (the 10-15 minute rule) until you get more experienced.
Quoted message said:And I'm going to vary the length of my runs more. Hopefully
that will keep my motivation up.
Remember not to put two long days back-to-back, throw in a short/easy or
rest day after a longer one. (The latter is anathema to me -- I only take
15-20 days off a year)
Quoted message said:I'm still proud of myself (and somewhat amazed) to find that a) I am
able to run long enough that I get bored,
Someone once said to me "I find running boring". I replied: "Some people
don't find themselves to be good company". I just think and think. I do
some of my best thinking and planning on my runs.
But lots of us need to have music, scantily clad teens, etc. to occupy our
minds.
Quoted message said:b) I have become fit enough
that the boredom is more uncomfortable than the physical discomfort, and
c) I have kept it up long enough that it became routine. I'm determined
to keep running, and find ways to keep it enjoyable.
Saturday 30 minutes
Sunday 25 minutes trail
Monday 30 minutes
Tuesday 30 minutes
Wednesday 30 minutes
Thursday 20 minutes
Friday dnr
Sounds like too much of same, same, same. No wonder you're going nuts.
Quoted message said:All at about 11-minute/mile pace, which is maybe the problem.
When you do fartleks or repeats, the time will fly, and you'll get a notch
or two faster on your regular runs. My first introduction to speedwork of
any kind was a counting game:
10 strides (left leg) fast, 10 slow
20 strides fast, 20 slow
....and so on up to 100, then back down to 10.
This would cover about 8 miles and the time flew.
It's a fun workout, and if you start out going only up to 50, a good
introduction to speedwork. Be sure to warm up with 10 minutes or so of
jogging before you start in with the fast stuff.
-- Dan
