This weekend I ran 10 miles, and then apologized for it. I know, its an average long run and nothing to scoff at…and yes, I like the word scoff and will continue to use it…but it feels like I was goofing off this weekend. For the past year, I’ve been preparing for one marathon or another and have had my long runs >15 miles for months now.  But, that gets old, and I wanna sleep in on Saturdays.  So, like a reasonable adult, I invented a reason to be lazy but not feel guilty.  So, I decided to work more on strength and speed through the summer to ultimately break my PR in a fall half-marathon.  That means more speed, less miles with some weightlifting and yoga tossed in the middle.  Like I said, be lazy.

So I ran 10 miles this Sunday just to maintain endurance.  To be honest, I’m still recovering from my previous marathon as well as post-weightlifting soreness.  So it was actually a tough 10 miles; at 8 miles I was wishing I was only running 7.  When I got back all sweaty and moderately fatigued, I met up with my neighbor.  He’s a 2 time Ironman with a ~3:10 Houston marathon under his belt, so he was of course running that morning too.  And his race experience can be a bit intimidating, though he’s a hell of a nice guy.  We talked a bit, then he asked how far I’d gone.  Automatically I began listing my excuses before even mentioning the distance, a lot like the list of “reasons” I gave in the previous paragraph.  I gotta admit I was downright apologetic in my responses, like I was a slacker for covering such a “small” distance.

It’s weird, cause I honestly praise those who run any distance.  In my mind, 3 miles is the same as 15 miles in achievement for those at different ability levels.  So I ain’t dismissing those who stick to a 5-10 mile long run, they should be proud of the work they put into it.  I think I just got used to the long, long runs that marathon training requires.  So now, cutting back feels downright awkward.  I just need to relax and work on speed training like I’ve planned out.  I need to stay smart to avoid injury or burnout on a sport I love.

Or I’ll ramp back up to 15 miles…whatever.