Run Relaxed

That was the theme of today's run/walk. After having to regroup and change locations for our Saturday meeting, running relaxed sounded like a great idea to me. The idea is to run or walk without your training watch; to run by feel not by numbers and focus on form.

Our group (Julius' and mine) represent the back of the red group pack. We have a nice mix of new and experiened runners. Our plan was to really focus on slow running to the turnaround (today's total was 8.5 miles more or less). I tood the lead and encouraged no one (ok, directed but I tried to do it kindly) to pass me on the way out. We were also trying 2/1 intervals after spending our first weeks together at 1/1 and 1.5/1. At the 2 mile marker I asked Kelly and Amy to keep the pace we had established and I drifted back to see how the rest of the group was doing. Kelly and Amy did a great job of keeping the pace slow and conversational. At the turnaround we all stretched and I told everyone they could proceed at whatever pace felt comfortable to them on the way back. Interestingly the group more or less stayed together for the first mile.

At that point a few individual setbacks caused us to split up. One of our group tripped over a tree root and almost face planted on the trail. As it was he ended up with scraped palms and knee and after a longer than usual walk break to shake it off managed to continue his intervals back to our meeting spot and the first aid kit. Another of our group has a recurring foot problem which acted up again at 4 miles. Julius hung back with him and they walked most of the last 4 miles. And yet another of our group developed severe pain on the outside of the knee at about the same point and although she tried to run/walk we convinced her to walk the final two miles. I stayed back with her.

It's difficult to convince those training for a marathon to give up the run when injured. They want so much to 'be able to do it.. to run the whole distance'. Yet, as another group member so accurately explained, it's better you walk today than not be able to run at all in a few weeks. I think we were successful in getting the point made.

I've asked our group to rate their run at the end of each session when they sign out. 1=too easy, 2=tired but it was good; could have gone a little more but glad I didn't have to 3=gasping for breath or generally exhausted at the end. Two of our members rated today's run a 3. (these were not the injured folks).

So we tried to run relaxed. We managed it for half the run. Thankfully it's a long season and we can build from this.