When I run, the first mile is always the trickiest thing for me.
I have a tendency to go out too hard when I first start running. I think that I’m still in the prime of my college years, pulling down 15 miles without much effort on a long day. I guess when I was in college I thought I was in the peak of my high school career, slamming some laps around the track without much of a sweat. 8^D While the notions of pushing yourself and attacking the run are admirable (I try to do this on all my runs), putting all of your effort into that first mile when you have another 2 (or 4, or 6) to go saps you of all your energy and the remainder of the run is painful, and not in the good way.
When done properly (like this morning), I gauge myself to hit that 80% or 90% effort mark. This allows me to get my legs moving, get the body into it’s groove, but not deplete all of my energy for the rest of the run. By the end of the first mile, I feel ready to tackle the rest of the run ahead of me. I try really hard not to worry about the time for this mile, it’s more of a warm up lap than anything else.
When you look at it, a 10 minute, 9 minute, 10 minute mile is a lot better than an a 8 minute 10 minute 14 minute mile. Trust me, those later miles can really start adding up when your body is wiped. The mental battle goes up exponentially as well.
So today’s blog post is just a random running tip. Deeper thoughts about running and life can come later. 8^D