What's your hurry?

Sometimes when I was a kid, we would go horseback riding at some stable catering to tourists. As we prepared to set out on a well-worn trail, I would grip the reins and ready myself for controlling my trusty steed.

Let’s be honest, though. These beasts traveled their trails countless numbers of times before and had no intention of letting some city-slicker youngster control either the direction they headed or the speed at which they traveled.

I bring this up now because it is a bit like my running.

To be sure, I am in greater control of the routes I travel. But I am having about as much luck controlling my speed as I did back in the days when I sat atop ‘Ol Paint.

I know the best advice is to start out slow, as much as a minute-per-mile or more slower than regular long-slow-run pace. The body needs time to work out the kinks and get the blood flowing. As Eladio Valdez of The Runner’s Edge says, “Your risk of injury goes up, the amount of enjoyment goes down as you waste extra energy with an inefficient body coming back to haunt you in the 2nd half of the workout, and it makes it harder for a pace group leader to settle into the appropriate pace.”

Sometimes I feel sluggish and strain to get going over the first mile. Then I realize that I probably am running too fast.

Experts like Eladio know better. Believe it or not, I know better. Yet, as much as I try to slow down to do my first mile in about 10 minutes, or maybe 9:30, I keep posting 9 minutes and sometimes less for that first mile. Yesterday and today I did a little better with a 9:17 and a 9:29 first mile, but Saturday when I did 8 I started with a 9:07.

The Runner’s Edge has weekly workouts that are guided by a pace-group leader who helps keep my inclination to speed ahead too quickly too early under control.

It’s just the other days of the week that I need to find a pair of reins to pull back as I head out on the trail.