(Note: I was out of town yesterday, so I gave myself the day off from blogging 
)
Last month I ran eighty seven miles. This is on par with my pre-Pandemic monthly running average.
Speaking of before the Pandemic, these day my running feels a lot like how it felt in 2019: joyful, expansive, and easy-going. 2019 was before I did marathon training. It was before months and months of continuous weekend long runs, and before getting in too deep and deciding I needed a break. I ran two half marathons in 2019 (which I wrote about here and here). In addition, I ran my first longer distances, a 15- and 16-miler. This helped me get my feet wet for what would eventually be training for my first marathon. In that sense, 2019 helped me build up to bigger running goals. Overall though, I really just enjoyed myself that year.*
That’s how I feel right now. Like I’m just enjoying myself. Two days ago, I raced a 5k. In total, I ran for less than twenty-five minutes… and I loved it. This morning I ran six miles and felt fine, not withstanding the expected amount of stiffness after Saturday.
I like that I could get my speed and competitive fix from a 3-mile run. I like that I didn’t need to worry about recovery afterward. And I like the fact that the only race currently on my calendar** is the Bay-to-Breakers, a seven-miler I am running with my brother in three weeks.
All in all, I’m digging the mellowness. I think I will enjoy it for awhile.
*In running as in the rest of life, including this blog! I spent most of 2019 completing Year #1 of my 365 Day Blogging Project.
**That’ll change, but I’m taking my time before signing up for more.