Therapeutic

One of the training tools used by Seb Coe and his coach and father Peter, was termed the therapeutic run. I first read about this in the book Better Training For Distance Runners. In short it is a run designed to have you feeling good.

It is a session that doesn't feature in the written plans of my training. It is also something I don't tend to think about too often. When it is needed, it just finds it's way into the training day. Usually I don't consciously pick the run course for this reason, or even pick the intensity based on it. Somehow I still manage these things to deliver a therapeutic. It is part way into the run that I realise this.

Today was one of those times. I was still feeling a little flat. According to the plan I was meant to head to the pool, but infections and the water often don't go well for me when combined. Leading into a night shift I also didn't want to hammer myself yet. As a result I was naturally drawn towards running. For some reason it is always running.

Heading out the door I was going to cover a reasonably frequent 13km loop. However, without thinking I turned left instead of right part way in. Making the warm a set of hills leading gradually up. The majority of the run appears flat, but is really a very gradual decline. It results in a beautiful ease to running. Just before the cool down section I get a steady climb of about 1km. Feeling refreshed and almost energised from the previous kilometers the uphill was attacked with an easy fluidity. It was during this climb I realised I was on a therapeutic.

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