Slow Your Roll

A few weeks ago, I was at a bar dressed in a flowy, bright orange frock to celebrate the 32^nd birthday of a friend.  The theme was neon, and it was completed with beer bongs and a Sublime-singing band that was celebrating the other holiday of the day, 4-20.  That day I met a guy named Fred. (I don’t actually know his real name so I figure Fred works.)  Anyway, Fred found out I was a runner, and he started quizzing me on my races completed along with my finishing times.  Before I knew it, Fred (who I found out was a 4-hour marathoner) was suggesting that it would be beneficial to both of us to run together since we both seem to run at the same 6-7-minute mile pace.  Ignoring the fact that my new friend Fred was running at a 9-minute mile plus pace for his marathon, I explained to him that most of my runs are actually at a much slower than race-pace speed.  Unless I am doing a training run, I am probably running at any easy pace of 8-minute miles or even slower.  Fred didn’t seem to grasp what I was saying, but I felt there was no way he would remember meeting me the next day so the point was moot.

While I may be poking a little fun at Fred, he actually made the incorrect assumption that I would guess most people make, i.e., that most fast runners are out there running fast every day.  In truth, even the most elite runners run slowly sometimes.  In fact, running slowly is good for you!  Running slowly allows your body to use fat for energy, and it will make you skinny!  When you run quickly, your body utilizes more carbohydrates (glycogen) and will eventually start to break down your amino acids (protein) for energy once your glycogen stores are depleted.

At this particular time between race training periods, I personally cherish all the slow, easy runs that make up 99% of my current miles.  True – there are times when it is fun to run fast, but there are also so many enjoyable miles where I can slow down, be lazy, and not worry about pushing myself…at least not that day.

Between my job as a tax accountant in a large privately-owned company, being a homeowner, being a landlord, being a runner, and being a mom to a 7-yr old golden retriever, I constantly feel overwhelmed and burned out.  It’s hard on my mind and body to put in a 10 hour day in the office doing tax returns (no lunch break), come home, change clothes, run, and then finally try to put together dinner at 9:30 pm at night.  One day this past week, I caught a glimpse of myself when I returned home from work; my face was drained of color.  I had dark circles under my eyes.  I looked sickly like a vampire…or a Duke basketball player.  I decided I was so tired that I had to break in to my reserves stashed at the back of my freezer – no not frozen beer (yuck!) but a box of Caramel Delight Girl Scout Cookies.

My granddaddy Paul, who never received a college degree, died at the age of 56 of a heart attack, and my mother always told me that it was a result of him working too hard at his job at the stockyard.  (However, I suspect that the unfiltered Lucky Stripe cigarettes and moonshine that he hid beneath the house had something to do with it as well.)  On the other hand, my parents take naps every day.  And while they have both always put in a good day’s work, I never remembered them not being home for dinner or at the office on the weekends when I was growing up.

This Memorial-Day weekend at my parents’ home on the coast of North Carolina, I finally got to kick back, relax, and just enjoy lounging around the beach house.  I took two-hour long naps in the afternoon, and my wardrobe consisted mostly of yoga clothes and running attire.  Other than my runs, I was pretty much completely worthless.  And that’s ok!  Life goes by too quickly, and it is so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of deadlines, house projects, and to-do lists.  Sometimes, you need to take a break from the chaos, and just slow your roll.

This Week’s Mileage: 46

This Week’s Beer Choice: Lagunitas a Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale