A Little Running

Do I run a little or a lot?

If you asked that question to my family and friends, they would most likely answer, A lot.  Not sure anyone other than my wife knows for sure but I’m sure they would tell you I’m a serious runner.  And if truth be told, I like to think of myself as a serious runner.  If you were to ask them how many days a year I run.  Many would tell you it seems like every day.  Again if you were to ask me how many days a year I run?  I would have replied “a lot, at least every other day.”  But when reviewing my running log, I was surprised to find I average around one third of the year. 

That’s right, over the last 13.5 years I’ve "only" run on average one out of every three days or 120 days every year.  This was a total surprise to me, but when looking at the numbers it’s true.  THE running log does not lie.  Now it is also just an average.  I've had three years where I ran in excess of 180 days with a high of 204.  Some years I've been a very busy runner, some, not so much and yes I've been lazy.  But finding out I only averaged 120 days a year made me think.

Do I need to run more?

Do I need to run less?

One of my golden rules while running has been:  Rest when you feel like resting.

Although I admire “the Streak Runners” very much, I have never been one to run every day.  The toll on my body is just too much.  If something does not feel right I take a day off.

Is more less or is less more?

I’m also not one to just pound out the miles…  I try to make the miles count, although I’m also not one who is glued to the stop watch. I try to turn in quality miles.  Each run is important to me and each mile is building to another goal.  Over these years I've averaged 854 mile per year, with four years surpassing the 1,200 mile mark (I’m on track to make it 5, with 3 straight years over 1,200).  

My Goal this year is to run 1600 miles which would be a bench mark year.

This being mid-way thu the year…I’m right on track now.

I just have to run as much as I think I am.