What I Do

I have touched on this, but I want to go into what I do during a run. My goal is to run for 8 minutes and walk for 1 minute. I am a big believer in the run/walk method, especially as I get older. I have never been able to run a full race, and am not going to start now. 

I find with the 8 minutes of running, that is just long enough for me to run, and I am wishing to take a break. The walk I do at a fairly brisk pace. My goal is to keep this going for the marathon. There are times as the miles get longer I find I need to shorten the run. In that case, I try to hold on to 7 minutes before I walk. A good test of this will be this Saturday at the Soldier Field 10 Mile Race. We will see how this goes.

Another thing I do is tell myself a saying over and over again. I have come up with "Run within yourself." This is a true test for me. Anytime I am in a race I have to remember I am not racing the people around me, no matter how much I want to beat the 80 year old with the baby stroller and dog. So in saying this I am focusing on me, my form, my breathing and pace. 

As I have shared before, I use the mantra "world peace" to settle my breathing. I inhale on "world" and exhale on "peace. " I find after I do this I really settle into a good breathing pattern.

There was no run today. Today I rode the bike 10 miles in 32:33. It felt good to be pushing the pedal to the metal. 

Tomorrow I coach No Boundaries.

Charlie