Routines – RunningWell

Hi Everyone!

Happy February! Check it out – the days are getting noticeably longer. Wohoo!!!

I’ve been thinking recently about routines and how valuable they are in keeping us consistent (# 1 ingredient for success). Once you have your routine down, you don’t have to use willpower or debating with yourself what you will do when – you just do the things you’ve always done. I love my routines. They keep me feeling grounded and in control.

But lately I’ve been thinking about how great it feels to break free of our routines every now and then. I sometimes panic or get stressed that if I miss my usual window, I’ve messed something up or done it incorrectly. It’s at those times that I realize my routine is controlling me, not vice versa, and I remember to question it and even want to rebel against it. Sure there is stability and comfort in doing what is familiar, but it’s funny how the slightest tweak can open your eyes to a new experience.

When I go skiing on the weekends with my kids, I like to be out the door early so they can be the first on the hill and I can get my xcountry ski in in the morning. But recently it has been so cold, we’ve decided to have more relaxed mornings and head up later in the day. For the first time I’ve xcountry skied with an afternoon light; the sun shines differently through the trees and casts different shadows. The whole experience feels novel and fresh. Instead of having the exact same, comfortable experience as always, I’ve created a new sensation and perspective.

Last week I think we all had to deal with switching things up if we didn’t want to abandon our workouts completely. Some of us chose a different time or day to do intervals, some did them on a bike, some did them in a new location or in a different format. I like that we had to do this. It proves to ourselves that we aren’t completely dependent on our systems, and that we have resilience and flexibility and agency. And it’s amazing how a small change can make an entire experience feel fresh and new! And new experiences are how we learn and grow. So keep your routines – they’re great and they work. But don’t forget to push against them every now and then, and never ever be afraid of trying something new.

Onto workout for Tomorrow:

I’m moving hills to next week because some of us have a taper workout and this way we can all do it together. We’re at that time of year where we get the melt/freeze combo, so just a warning: it could be slippery. We’ll see what we get when we get there – hopefully they’ll salt as they usually do.

1-3 sets of (1mile, 2 min recovery, 800) – 2 mins between sets. Miles at tempo pace, 800’s at 10K (or quicker at the end). 1 set if you’re tapering, 2 sets if you’re just getting back into things, 3 sets if you’re building
If doing this fartlek style, 3 x (6 min tempo, 2 min easy, 3 min hard) 2 min jog bw sets

This is a good one for practicing HM pace with surges, and recovering back to HM pace. Re-settle in. You will go through these surges and settle phases in all longer races. Teaching your body to get back into its rhythm is good practice. Also a great strength wrkt bc a fair bit of volume. I’ll be doing the taper version, but will cheer y’all on!!!

I’ll be there at 6:05 for warm-up, 6:15 is GO TIME!

See ya in the am 

Seanna