Run-Down Forums

[Micah Ward]

My daughter and I were talking about her philosophy class and she said that one group of philosophers (Sophists I think)are concerned about the pursuit of perfection. I told her that I was in search of the perfect run. Then I thought...what would be a perfect run? Four of my runs in the past came to mind.

1. An early morning run in Morro Bay, CA just after sunrise but before the town got busy. A light fog was just lifting as I got to the ocean. The waves were crashing on a stone jetty and the sky was just starting to peak through the clouds. The beauty was breathtaking.

2. Late fall just outside of Atlanta. The leaves still have a lot of color even though about half have fell off the trees. An early cold streak had just arrived and there was a surprising snow fall coming down. None of it stayed on the ground but it was a spectacular run through snowflakes and fall leaves mingling together in the deep south.

3. Mannasas battle field in Virginia. My wife and daughter and I looked at the map and saw a 2 mile trail that we decided to run out and back for an easy 4. Two wrong turns and we were completely lost and our easy 4 became 2 hours of running, walking exploring and reading historical monuments. A very relaxed and fun experience that just happened by accident.

4. And finally a 30 minute jog on the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina. It was late February and a light coating of snow was on the ground. The forest seemed totally silent and I felt like I could have been the only person on earth.

Those runs stand out in my memory when I think of what makes a perfect run. But who knows, THE perfect run may be tommorrow morning. Anyone else have thoughts on what makes a perfect run?
Micah

[Dan]

I don't recall any days that stand out for the running scenery, only the very rare feeling of running perfection (or more frequently, absolute pain ) where things feel as effortless as could be. Unfortunately, those days rarely coincide with races...

Dan

[Micah Ward]

Dan, It was interesting that you didn't remember any particular scenery from runs. Living in Oregon I would think you would be surrounded by it. When I put this post up I was hoping to get a lot of response to see what others considered to be the elements of a "perfect" run. With you it seems that the performance is a key. I can still remember the 10K where I set my PR of 39:12 but I don't consider it to reach the level of satisfaction as the other runs I mentioned. In fact, it seems interesting that the run/walk with my wife and daughter at Mannassas comes to mind before the PR when I was by myself. Well, off to work and I hope more of the regular crowd will through in some ideas.
Micah

[Dan]

Yeah, for me the performance is pretty much the only thing. That's largely why I've found it difficult to enjoy running recreationally since injuries slowed me significantly. I appreciate nice scenery, but more so when I don't have to keep an eye on the trail to avoid a sprained ankle.

Dan

[Shaun Fox]

As Dan i to would rate my perfect run on performance rather than other things as it feels great when you reach a goal you have set, it feels good that all the hard training finally pays off and once you have reached one goal you can then set another.
When you are training hard or are in a race its impossible to take much notice of the scenery because you are working to hard, hurting to much and concentration is needed to block out the pain.

[graeme]

I'm a competitive person. Even when I'm in a recreational 10k or something I find it hard not to try and place as well as I can... I like to take every oportunity I can to get a PB.

I would say my best run was a 3k run at my school with a HUGE hill I was running side-by-side with a huge guy the whole race.He was a couple years older than me and I just barely beat him in a sprint to the finish.. My motivation was that they said the winner gets a prize, but it turned out to be a water bottle

There are places with amazing scenary where I live... But I do most of my running at the track since I do mainly short intervals and I need to know exactly how far I've gone.

[Leech Boy]

What would you rather do, run each run or race perfectly(max out your potential for your fitness level) or run a perfect race(max out your entire potential in one race)?

The perfect run for me? Hmmm. I cannot think of a place. I do a lot of my runs on trails. On good days I sometimes forget I am running. I feel like I am floating. I just feel the wind in my face and see the sunset and am just in awe.

Leechboy

[Dan]

[Micah Ward]

I think what Leechboy means is...would you rather run a series of perfect workouts or a perfect race? From a performance standpoint I would rather run perfect in a race and win another plastic trophy. Even though my list of perfect runs did not include a race I AM very competetive and my top reason for running is the races.

Of course, as I have gotten older (45) the injury bug bites more often and sometimes a run's greatness isn't based on how fast it is but by how painless it is.
Micah

[Leech Boy]

What I meant:

I'll try this again.



Would you rather run each race to your greatest ability given your fitness level. Most of the time you race you aren't at your best shape. For example, you haven't run in a while and race and you max out for whatever shape you are in.



Or would you rather have one race where you

get in the best possilbe shape you can be ever and have one perfect race?



i.g. would you rather race each race perfectly or have a perfect race?

[Micah Ward]

Ok I think I got it and I would say that I want to run each race at the top of my fitness level at that particular time. The best race I have ever run was a 3 mile cross country race in New Hampshire at a 5:57 pace. But that was 19 years ago when I was also 30 pounds lighter. In recent years a 7:30 pace is about the best shape I have been in and each time I raced a 7:25-7:30 I felt really good about my effort. So it is all relative to the individual and their current state of training.

But as I said before, the speed of the run alone is not what makes a run approach perfection for me. If it is fast that is good, but if the scenery and the circumstances and even who I am running with all come together in the right combination then the speed becomes less of a factor. Maybe that is a difference between an old guy (me) and you young fast guys.
Micah

[Dan]

[Micah Ward]

Running a perfect race every time out would be an ideal goal, but I don't mean to sound like I don't want to race unless I can approach that "perfection". I have run a lot of races where the results did not approach the level they should have. I will probably run more in the future. The key though, is that I will continue to race even if I am not in the best shape. I love the atmosphere, the challenge, the travel to races and that occasional plastic trophy! And I can't wait to get this stress fracture healed and get back on the starting line. I've included a slow 3 minutes of running into my 20 minute "rehab" walk and next week I will increase to 4 minutes running. It is a slow process but it is progress!
Micah

[graeme]

I think that it's much easier to have a near perfect run in a race. I always get my personal bests at races. You have a lot more motivation than when you practice by yourself. But I guess that's why it's good to have a training partner or join a club.