The age old comparison of the journey versus the destination: which is more important? Now that I'm working towards a specific goal race (assuming I get into the race in the first place) it's become a more interesting and important question to me.
On one hand, if I'm going to run the race I want to run, at the pace I want to, I have to focus very closely on that goal, the destination. If I don't keep that in mind, and convince myself that I can do it, then there is no chance I'll succeed. Every day, week, and month has to be planned with the ultimate goal in mind. If I lose sight of that, I won't run the race I plan to .
On the other hand, by doing that, I risk losing sight of why I run in the first place. That was detailed in an earlier post, probably some time in mid-November. And if I lose sight of why I run, I won't enjoy it any more. I run simply to run, because I love it. But the constant straining towards a goal risks upsetting that.
I'm sure every runner has methods of mixing up so as to not lose sight of running for racing. I have a few methods I like to use. At least two, sometimes three days a week, I leave the watch behind, don't really plan a distance, and just go out for a run at whatever pace feels good to me that day. When I can, I'll take trips in order to run in to places (last summer I did a run in Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as several in the Indian Peaks Wilderness). I like to keep it fresh. Most of my runs take place in familiar locations along often-repeated routes, but changing it every so often keeps me interested in the scenery, and not just the act of putting one foot in front of the other for what might be as long as four hours.
I think I take the position of many when I decide that the journey, not the destination, is often the most important part of any process, whether it's a trip or a training program. If we focus too much on the destination and not enough on the journey itself, we risk missing the destination entirely. If I don't run my time for the half this summer, but enjoy the training process and still love to run at the end of it, I'll consider that a success.
This was put more succinctly on my favorite TV show of all time, Firefly (curse you fox for cancelling it!)
"Why don't you care where the ships are going?"
"Because the journey is the worthier part."
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