WTF is Up With My Running Lately?

I’ve had a lifelong love/hate relationship with running.

I ran cross country for a couple years in high school, but never really enjoyed it.? I liked being on the team, but always hated running while I did it. ?The cheapskate in me loves running because it’s free, but it was always one of those “I’ll do this because it’s good for me” type of things.? Over the last ten years I probably went running about 10-15 times per year.

Over the last few weeks I went running 15/18 days and that includes two days I spent in the hospital when Owen was born.

And I loved it.

Running
Running

A few weeks back I joined FitFeud, an online weightloss/fitness competition built on the premise that peer pressure and competition are the best motivators. ?After I had a bad week in the FitFeud I decided to go for a 2 mile run the next day and couldn’t believe how good the run felt.? I intentionally took it really slow, but in my 15 years of on-again/off-again running I never felt that good. ? I ran again the next day and felt even better. ?Soon, I was putting in 3-4 miles every day.

I attribute the success to a new running pattern where I start very slow and gradually bring up my heart rate, along with being in slightly better shape due to a soccer league I played in over the last year.

I also attribute my renewed interest in running to DailyMile.com, a great site for mapping out runs and recording your training. ?My goal is to run a 5K under 25 minutes. ?Now I just need to find a good race. ?I’m missing the Oaklyn 5K this Sunday because I’m going out of town.