Numbers hard to track
Two bullet trains wheezing by,
Continue smiling
(3km easy, 5km short tempo pace, 2km easy)
I continue with the Run Less, Run Faster program pretty assiduously. I've missed a run or two here and there, but I do all cross-training (and often more due to my bicycle commutes) and the stretching exercises are proving really beneficial: since starting them, my morning feet pains (plantar fasciitis perhaps) have disappeared, at least when I've done the stretches the day before, which is almost every day.
Interval runs, except for the 1600m repeats, are proving easier than expected. I often run them faster than prescribed; I guess capoeira helps me with these short intense exercises. This morning's tempo run was relatively easy, and I was glad to run basically at exactly the recommended pace for me; actually I pushed harder for the last kilometer. The long runs are a little difficult, as running 16, 20k at a time is still challenging, but then they are needed. When I have the chance, I do my long runs on trail, so then I focus on the time and effort more than on the distance. I've one on trail so far, my first true trail run with my five fingers shoes, and they were awesome! Running 'barefoot' on soil and rocks is fantastic. Of course some surfaces a little more challenging (especially when they are filled with smallish rocks, about 2-4cm big), but most of the time it feels so great. Now I really understand the purpose of these shoes!
But all training aside, I need also to focus on enjoying my runs, and that's what today's haiku is about. Usually I enjoy jogging for jogging, looking at the people and sights. With the training program and prescribed paces over specific distances, however, I sometimes forget to stop and smell the flowers. My son loves trains and every time I see some, especially bullet trains, I'm reminded of him, and this makes me smile. I need to remember this feeling on all runs.
