taking it easy and taking it slow


I technically ran 4 miles yesterday.

That is, I ran for 3 miles, walked a bit, and then did another mile and change.

I am trying to soften my approach to running until my legs feel strong again.  I want to be able to run well into my later years and I think the only way this will be possible is to notice when thing are out of whack and let them heal themselves before pushing through.  Clearly this doesn't mean taking all challenge out of my running, but it means listening with a sharper ear when my body screams "OUCH".

There is a lot of writing, none of which I have read, praising the attributes of running/walking training.  I shudder at the thought, frankly, of stopping to walk during a run, but maybe thats just me being a stupid man.  Maybe there is something to it.  I know that if I get into the 2017 New York City Marathon, i'm going to want to run the whole thing.  Every step.  I see the possible benefits of walking and running, but I don't FEEL them.  I want to conquer the distance, not embrace it.

The running/walking thing is not something I am ready to embrace, but I will give myself permission to walk if my body feels like it really needs a break.  Understanding the difference between body pain and general fatigue is going to be tricky, but I think I can be honest enough with myself to tell the difference.

Also,

I want to lose 20 more pounds before May.  I want to take some stress off my knees and joints.  I hope that this will help my training and possibly further my distances.  There are some trail races upstate that look like a lot of fun and seem awfully challenging to boot.  I want to be able to do all these races to the best of my ability and I want to keep myself health in order to do so. So maybe weight training and diet are going to have to be part of my life.

Rainy day today.  Plan on going for a run tomorrow morning.  Would like to try and keep it a t 3 runs a week for a few more weeks.