Last month we hosted a unique and inspiring event with our friends from Altra Running. It featured the founder of the brand and an all-around interesting dude, Golden Harper. He discussed a wide range of topics from being picked on for being the fast kid with the bright red hair to proper form on downhill trail running. The whole night came together very quickly and the feedback we have received has been very positive.
One of the biggest takeaways from Golden was just the curious nature in which he trains and approaches his business. Not everyone can follow the same exact plan. I have been messing around with my training and diet the last few months, and I feel great and am running just as fast as when we opened the shop. It’s working fine today, but I am prepared for the wheels to fall off and to go back to the drawing board.
That’s part of the fun, right? We are changing every day, so something that worked for your last big race may not work this time around. I am training totally different right now than I was for my Fall marathon, and, at the time, I was quite pleased with my training. Only with some distance can you spot the mistakes made and rework your plan for the next race. That same logic goes into shoes too. Golden spoke about just trying stuff and seeing what works. If you are used to grabbing the same style of shoes, branch out. See what else is out there!
A lot of runs are completed just for the sake of training. With a little bit of planning, your training can become fun. Change your route, change your pace, and/or change the time of day you run. Explore and have fun. I have been doing just that so far this spring and I am enjoying the results. Whatever the results may be on my next race, I am satisfied with the route I took to get to this level of fitness.
Hope everyone can make it out for the Newton Pub Run on 5/31! I am excited to have a huge outdoor pub run and finish outside O’Lordans. Stay safe out there, and, as always, I’ll see you around town.
Steve
