Seemingly Effortless

In preparation for the 10K I've signed up for in April, I'm trying to extend my long runs even longer. I've had this niggling knee thing for a few weeks so I was a little leary about how things were going to go. I'm very happy to report that it went really, really well. Here's why:

1. The weather was pretty good -- temps hovered around 32, no precip, and only a little wind (5-10 mph).

2. I had a kick-butt play list. For a while I had been using music to pace but some of what was on my play list was so BORING it felt like drudgery. I decided to put music on that just gets me going, regardless of the tempo. It worked like a charm!

3. I brought a snack sized Zone bar with me and stopped at the prairie restoration park to eat it and hydrate. The 80 calories was just enough to keep the blood sugar up through the second half and not start to drag like I usually do.

The only problem was the water fountains were turned off and the bathrooms were locked, so no water! WTF?!? Like people stop needing to pee and hydrate because it's winter???

4. I had zero knee trouble -- ZERO! Not even a twinge. What's up with that? I'm not complaining....it made for a fabulous run, but it's down right confusing.

5. I ran by lots of beautiful nature stuff. I saw a little creek with no garbage in it, some trees that were just starting to bud, some bunnies and a blue heron.

I got to the end of my planned route and headed home. I would have, and could have continued on, it was going that well, but I was wanted at home. The whole thing got me thinking, though. Maybe my quest for a faster 5K time is a misdirection of energies. I mean, what does being fast mean, anyway? That you're healthier? Stronger? Have better form as a runner? Does it make you smarter? A better parent or partner? Isn't it just as "good" to go long, and more importantly, enjoy it? That's what I'm thinkin'.