Fun and frolic......Munro-bagging in Glencoe |
Admittedly, when it comes to running, I've always tried to look upon it as fun and frolic, disregarding most of that serious scientific stuff that's become part and parcel of the modern movement, where every step is timed and every run fed into the computer for analysis. Regrettably, I've been drawn into much of that stuff too and quite a few running days end with me sat by a computer recording the bare bones of what I've done, then fleshing it up for a half decent blog posting.
In early years I'd a simple Seiko stopwatch; no metronome, no apps to tell me when to walk and when
on this year's Eiger Trail run..... |
I wasn't exactly 'frolicking like a well-fed calf' in those early days, but running became the most exciting thing I'd ever done and dearly wished I'd discovered it long before my mid fifties. Ticking off Scottish Munros, jogging long, high level routes in the Cairngorms, testing our studs over the Great Lochaber Traverse, hurtling down the snow fields from Ben Nevis or running the heathery hills of home was never anything else but play. It was also excellent training for races of all lengths and types I chose to run. New PB's, course records, championship wins, creeping into national and world rankings were all complementary by-products of the wonderful game I was playing. It really was all play. And I didn't need a Garmin to gauge how much I was enjoying it.
beach running from a wild camp in the Hebrides.... |
So what to do now? Maybe another visit to my favourite Isle of Iona to bathe
....to high tops in the Canary islands. It was all play. |
Hehe, really enjoyed that ;) .
ReplyDeleteHi Runningfox! I just commented on another person's blog (who had put up "motivational videos") that fun must be the number one priority. There is no way I can imagine to go to the gym for nearly 7 years in a row now without it being all about the fun. Goals were cool for the first few years, but now I'm really fairly desensitized to goals. They don't have the same lure or pull, after many years of them. But having fun never gets old. I meet new people and hear new stories at the gym--which never ceases to be fun. And I've made it part of my life to help others gain skills in fitness, like teaching people how to bench press. This keeps me sparked. Same with eating healthy--that must be happy and fun too.
ReplyDeleteAs always, I love your stories and photos. You've got to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world--over there in Scotland. :D
Hi Marion. Before I began running I used to love going to the gym, a quiet, low key one called the Olympus, where everyone knew each other, and where things got quite competitive at times. Yes, it was fun challenging the instructors.
DeleteIt closed and the one I go to now is too big, too sweaty, plays loud music, is so impersonal, has too many posers hogging the equipment - and not to mention (usually) obese people spending far too much time strolling around on the treadmills. I use it when the weather gets really bad, spend an hour or so going through my routine, then get to heck out of it. I'm afraid the fun went out of it for me when the Olympus closed down. More's the pity.....