I've been evaluating my running to date, and I'm now at a crossroads, of sorts. I've run 3 half marathons, and while I've done OK in them, I've also not done exceptionally well either. In other words, I'm not fast. I never thought I would be, so that's not really an issue. But, I have a choice now, and have to give this some serious thought.
I've found that I really love running. Sure, there may be times during a long run that I'm not particularly fond of it, but overall, I really love the way I feel after a run. It's that runner's high I guess. So, I have a choice. For the rest of the year, I can continue to focus on the half marathon, and do additional events as time allows. There are several regional events that I could do, and that would be fun. Or, I could start focusing on shorter events, and do more 5k and 10k races. But, I'm not sure I really like the shorter events. Granted, I haven't done a whole lot of them, but for now, I think I'm more content doing longer runs. Since I don't necessarily have the speed to be competitive, I think I would get more satisfaction from being a mid-packer in longer races. Or, I could shift gears and attempt a marathon this fall. I know there are many folks that say you should not rush into marathon training, and I respect that. But, at the same time, if I can overcome my knee issues, and can continue to lengthen my training program, I don't see any reason why I couldn't do a marathon this fall.
Either way, any of the 3 choices above keeps me out there, running. That's the most important thing. There are merits to each one, and I'll need to give this some serious thought. Now, having said that, the 3 choices aren't that exclusive from one another either. In other words, if I choose to train for a marathon (assuming my body can take the beating), that could also lead to improved times in the half marathon, as well as 5k and/or 10k races when I start doing them. Can I really do a marathon? Actually, I think I can, but do I want to?
No comments:
Post a Comment