I told you last week how I’d had one of my toughest runs ever that day. Everything ached after that one, even my brain.

A week later, same path and distance, I had one of my easiest.

Not because I was jacked up and excited.
The weather was the same (hot and Miami-summer humid).
There were some people to race, but it wasn’t much of a challenge to pass them.

I think I’m just finally getting my “running legs” under me. Ahead of the January Miami Marathon, I ran a few times this week and they were all much easier than any of my runs of the previous 3 months.

At this stage, I’m not pushing myself while running; it just kind of happens; all I have to do is allow myself to keep going. I don’t have to slow down or speed up, or at least not think about doing so. I see people running up ahead of me and I don’t have to try catching up to or passing them; it takes place on its own. Yeah, there’s still fatigue that sets in about an hour or two after I’m done, but it’s not the I’m never doing this again!! feeling people experience during alcohol hangovers, for example.

I’m glad about all of this; after last week’s struggle run I thought I might just have been getting old.

For Your Game
The Third Day is that time when the newness is gone and you have to push yourself to finish the job. This is now The Fourth Day: I fought past Day Three and now everything’s easier. That’s usually how it goes. Everything gets easier after the hardest battle has been fought and survived.
If you want a job to start being easy for you, there are a few principles to keep close: Decide on a program and don’t change it. Do the same things, the same way, every time. Have a consistent schedule. Do it, even when conditions (how you feel, the weather, who else shows up) are not ideal.
Not time to celebrate yet. I ran a distance that’s about a third of the race I’m signed up for. Soon it’ll be time to run further and for longer, that’s all. Reaching one checkpoint just means it’s time to move on to the next one. Is it never-ending? Tiring? A mentally overwhelming proposition, for some people? Yes, yes, and yes. It’s also a choice.

#WorkOnYourGame