Day 34: Running Mental

From Me and the Road

Date: 2/3/09

Consecutive Days Run: 34

Runner: Brandon Wood

Shoes: Newton AW Trainers

Location: New York, NY

Type of Run: Quick, short

Time of Day: 6:56 PM EST

Distance Run: 2.01 miles

Time Run: 00:14:45

Average Pace: 7:21 per mile

Weather Conditions: Cold (32 degrees Fahrenheit)

Disposition: Distracted

Link to Run Detail: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/23891765

About the Run: This afternoon, I got an email from a listener of my show that kind of upset me. I won’t go into the details too much here, but, suffice it to say that my mind was not on running this evening. I would like to say this: Over the past two years I, by way of Brandon’s Marathon, have come to be part of a wonderful community of athletes. These athletes come from all over the world and from right around the corner. I have become quite close with some people whom I never would have me if it were not for the incredibly embracing and encouraging athletic community that the internet has helped to foster. So, today, when I was informed that one of my listeners was unhappy, I took every word in with the desire to improve what I do.

As I went out the door, I hesitated to pick up my pace. You see, one of the thing that this person said was that I have forgotten what it means to be “slow”. I told him that speed was relative and that he only need look at my PR half-marathon results from two weeks ago to discover just how far down the list I am in terms of speed. Once I got over that, I got into a mind to push my pace as I further contemplated how to respond to this email that was capturing my thoughts. I feel like I had a good run, but I was not connected to my body. To be completely honest, my head is still spinning a bit.