Running With Purpose

"I'm going for a run"..."I've got to get my miles in"..."Let's meet for a run."

As runners, especially distance runners, those are things we think or say almost daily.  But why do we do it?  Not just "run", I mean, but why do we run that day? 

What is the purpose of my run today?

As I started my run this morning, an easy 5-mile run on a crusher-fine trail near my house, I reminded myself of why I was out here in the first place:  recovery.  The purpose of this run was to recover from my 14-mile goal pace run from yesterday.  "Well," you ask, "why don't you just not run and recover that way?"  That's a valid question, and a valid thing to do as a runner following a hard workout.  As for me, I've discovered that it's better for me to do a recovery run than to take the day off (or even do cross-training exclusively ) after a long run. It allows me to be ready for my Monday morning training run. 

Now, what do I mean by "recovery"?  A recovery run is one where your level of effort is fairly easy, comparatively speaking, and it's typically quite a bit slower than your goal pace and even your long run pace.  If you've had some accurate testing done for your VOxMax / Lactate Threshold, it can also mean targeting a specific heart rate zone.  For me, right now (because that changes), a recovery run from this perspective means a run where my heart rate is below 150 beats per minute. 

Many runners consider recovery runs to be "junk miles", a term that implies that they have no benefit to us.  I've come to avoid that description, not only because of the benefits that we do still get from running recovery miles (strength is increased through running farther; calorie burn; relaxation; continuing to increase capillarization & mitochondria) but also because of how I use those miles.  You see, when we're doing speedwork, a long run, or a long goal pace run, we're often focused primarily on things like fast turnover, going the distance, or hitting our goal pace for the distance of our long run that day.  I decided a while ago, however, that my recovery runs were also a time when I could relax and focus on elements of my running form.  While making sure that my heart rate stays in my recovery zone, I'm running so easy that I can think about things that my coach may have reminded me of in speedwork that week ("you're slightly flashing those soles") or that I may have heard in my last marathon ("chin up"), or simply those things that I know will make me a better, stronger runner if I practice them (keeping my footstrike under me; often priciples of Chi Running: a slightly forward lean, being "pulled" from a bungee cord from the chest, keeping my feet turning over ala riding a bike).  From my training as a musician as well as a dancer, I know that what you practice you will do.  There's no magic that will allow you to suddenly do something in a race that you haven't practiced in training. 

Running with purpose...It's a simple principle, and one that I've found has helped my running:  always know what the purpose of my run for that day is.  Without it, I won't know if I accomplished my purpose, and might wander somewhat aimlessly through my training runs--even if I have a structured, rigorous training schedule.  Since I don't have a personal, daily coach--one who can be at every run I do--I have to take responsibility for knowing what I need to accomplish on each run and why.

And so, as I ran that last recovery mile, I avoided focusing on the relative slowness of my pace, but thought about how I was actually running: are my feet falling underneath me...am I keeping my chin up and looking out in front of me...is my body lifted and strong, with a slight forward--but not hunched--lean...how will I run that upcoming little hill and the downhill on the other side?   And I thought about tomorrow morning's run...What is the purpose of my run in the morning?

What about you?  Why are you running today?


~Relentless Forward Motion, ya'll...