Almost forty years ago, before running was as ubiquitous as it is now, a friend who had already been a runner for some time told me that for overall health and wellness, the sweet spot for running was three miles, three times a week. Any more than that and you gain no general health benefits, you just become a better runner - and at the same time, your risk of injury climbs sharply.
When I first set this goal for the summer, it was in the spirit of do it while you can - I'm not getting any younger and doing a longer-distance race might uncork some youthful vigor. But I'm not a capital-R Runner in any sense, physically or psychologically (as I have often said, there's never been a time that I was running that I wouldn't rather have been not running), so I have to think about how much I will get out of this for how much I put in. I'm not sure what sense of accomplishment completing a 10K would give me, or where it would eventually lead. I could stick with the 5K distance and, as my old high school girlfriend does now, run one just about every week (plus two training runs each week). That might be enough on all counts.
In any event, I'll stay the course for now and see what the next bump up brings. I made a running playlist of appropriately paced music and have figured out my four-mile route. We'll see what happens.
Have really been grooving on Twitter this week. Wish more friends were on it...
Reading
Finished Raising Steam.
Currently reading Old Venus, a short story collection.
Making
Got some promising materials but didn't put in any workbench time.
Miscellany
- No work! Woo-hoo!
- I voted! Did you?
- Tried to watch the Republican debates but had to quit after just a few minutes when my brains started spilling out my ears.
- One gaming date, three lunches, a vet appointment (all clear!), a Third Birthday party, and a trip to Gig Harbor.
- Here's the graduation picture for Michele, the high school girlfriend I mentioned above.
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