What Doesn't Get Scheduled, Doesn't Get Done - Running cont.

"If you're running 12k on week x as you train for the marathon, the first 6 or 7km are the easy part. The rest will feel like a race...."

Apparently the two people sitting behind me are discussing running over a hot cup of java. I can feel myself smirking just about now as I type this. The person who's monopolizing the majority of the conversation sounds like the coach. The other person is intently throwing in a 'yes' or 'makes sense.' I could have easily interjected something into that conversation. After all, what they were discussing felt familiar to me. A topic I am getting to know well experientially.

It feels good to hear things like this. People who spend much time governing their physical exercises and general wellbeing. In a way, it's motivating. And while my body feels a tad battered this morning after too much fun on the slopes the day before and a heck of a lot of falls - hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained! - I feel like I have to get right back to my routine the very next morning and reclaim my usual 10km. And today I'm aiming for something better. Today I'm aiming for a 14km mid-week achievement.

Every hour of every day is planned and the time that goes to running feels especially good. I look forward to the activity. And if this makes one sound too structured, no worries. There's time in the schedule set aside for spontaneity too. Insert pertinent emoji here....

What does't get scheduled, doesn't get done. I learned that early on. I must have been 5. It stuck. I'm grateful for that. In hindsight, I'm especially grateful for that. But back to running.

I look forward to what it will feel like when I pass the 5km mark and I can rip down a hill as I get back to my car and complete my 10km. And there's nothing like running right at dawn. I don't know why it matters so much to me now that I run 10km daily, but it does. It's not just the physical benefits of this activity that I'm drawn to. I'm especially drawn to how I feel and think. There's a general sense of 'can-do' and 'heck yeah' that's tied to it. And the sensation intensifies with more time and more kilometers in the books.

And this week I saw concretely just what one of the great side-effects of daily running is. I could schlep my board up and down all day and it felt as light as a feather. My boarding buddy wondered how come I wasn't tired after a few hours of steady activity. I asked him what he meant by that. Hadn't we just started?! Apparently, no. Yet another great side effect of running daily: not feeling tired and maximizing one's time on the board. More, please!

And a great way to keep focused and on-track when it comes to running is to find ways to supplement one's training with some other activity. Boredom's antidote? Boarding! I mean, diversity!