Running by Feeling

Mr. Hilarious has been working insane hours and suggested we all do something fun together on Sunday. I said, "That's a great idea. You do something fun with the kids, and I'll take a day to myself." This mom needed a day off.

I started my day at the Y with Amanda, my best friend, running partner, and free therapist (she is gestalt trained). She received a book called Run: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel. Neither of us have read it, but just by the title, we decided we both agree that running by feel is the best way to go. In a mom world dictated by bus, lunch, nap, and soceer schedules, our plates our full. Sometimes we have zero energy to run one mile, and if our training schedule tells us to run eight miles, we feel like a failure when we don't.

Last year, Amanda and I took a year off from races and ran just for the fun of it. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you it was largely because I didn't want to spend the money paying for races. I also didn't want to spend the money for new shoes and am still paying for it. Replace those shoes to stay injury free!

Running without a schedule was amazing. We both ran farther and faster than we ever had before. When it was hot and humid (or one of us had a few drinks the night before), we ran until we couldn't take it, sometimes only two miles. But when the weather was right and we needed to vent, we could run ten or more miles without even realizing it.

We didn't use a clock, and we don't have a gps so we don't really know how far we ran, but we were runners. I also think I was the most mentally fit I had been in a long time. I wasn't stressed out because my kid was sick and I couldn't run, and I didn't have to leave any parties early to get to bed because I had a long run in the morning.

As this book warns, this kind of running is not for beginners. It's also not for those coming back from an injury. I ran four miles yesterday and felt like I could run four more. However, I am so cautious not to over do it and reinjure myself. I'm sticking to a strict running plan of one mile a week increases until I am back to 30 miles a week. However, I am truly looking forward to the freedom of running without a schedule, and the reward of running as far and fast as my body needs. It's a different kind of run.