Tuesday, February 07, 2006

short vs. long runs

I find long runs to be more enjoyable and, dare I say, easier than shorter runs. My marathon training schedule has three short runs during the week and a long run every weekend. This past Sunday's long run was 16 miles and I averaged a 9:34 min. mile. I have a cold, but the sun was out and the run felt pretty good. This morning's run was 4 miles, but I only ran 2.5 miles and it was tough. I averaged just under 9 min. miles, but I don't think it was due to the faster pace and I wasn't sore from the weekend run. It was just a hard run.

I think it's mental. I'm much more relaxed on long runs. I know I have a long way to go so I settle into a comfortable pace and simply enjoy the run. I also take a mile or two to find my rhythm so the short runs feel like they are over just as I'm getting warmed up.

No comments: