Runners high runners low.

There is a concept known to those who run as runners high. It's (in my experience) a flood of endorphins that washes over you, making you feel high and it is amazing. Interestingly I have only experienced this once, and that was week 6 of the c25k program, after I ran for 20 minutes straight for the first time, in my life.

Looking back this achievement was huge, I had committed to something, and worked hard to achieve that goal.

I don't get runners high anymore, but I get lots of runners low. I describe this as when I simply can't run the way I want to.

In some ways I am like a perpetual toddler who is frustrated that he can't walk, he takes a few steps and falls down. This is how running feels to me at times, I make some big achievements but then get injured, or busy or lazy and I don't run the way I need to to get to that next goal.

I have been thinking a lot about goals for next year, what comes next.
Do I focus on longer distances, maybe an 50k or something?
Or do I go shorter and faster, aim for a 1:45 half marathon?
Do I run because running is what I do?
Do I look at tri's?

I just don't know where I want to go with running next year and there really are so many possibilities.

At this stage I am starting to think that I want to maintain a level of fitness so that once a month I can run into work, which involves a 4am wake up, and 3 and a bit hours running, and I think this would be an awesome foundation for next years marathon.

I know I probably focus on the marathon in 2 weeks, and now what happens next, but the setting of my next goal is a part of what will get me through the 42.2k in less than 2 weeks time. Last year after the marathon I experienced an extreme sense of being lost and I attribute this to net having my next goals set.

So my goals right now are:

I am going to run 42.2k on Sunday the 9th of October
Run to work at least once before the end of the year


On an interesting side note, I discovered that the historical distance for the marathon was actually 24miles, not the 26.2miles we run today. This was changed in the early 1900's at the London Olympics as the windsor family wanted the start line at once of their castles and the distance to the finishing line at the stadium was 2.2 miles longer...