Learning to Love the Run

I have a lot of fitness related goals this year, but one of the most challenging for me is learning to love the run. I have never been a runner. I started running in January of 2008 because I was interested in triathlon. Aside from the simple exhaustion associated with running, it was just not that exciting to me. In the pool, I find complete peace. It is a quiet place and the workouts are relatively short. Cycling is really fun. Flying about on a bike is great. Plus, you can control your power output much easier by changing gears. The run is just the run. Running slower is one way to conserve energy, but it is still challenging.  Furthermore, it is important because it is the last event in a triathlon.  One must have a good run to have a good race.

This year I am training with P90X to build base strength for the triathlon season and slowly mixing in runs. I did two 4.5 mile runs this week. One was a treadmill based mix of sprints and today I just went for good old fashioned run in the great outdoors. I was surprised at how much more fun I had running this week. After taking quite a bit of time off, I thought it would be unbearable. Instead, what I found is that the strength training and P90X Nutrition Plan have given me a lot to draw from.  My legs are stronger than they were and that really seems to give me the extra added boost that I need.  Now it is just mental.

Triathlon training formally begins the last week in March.  Until then, it is P90X and a new love affair with running.