Timeless

Sometimes it's good to leave your watch at home.

The in-laws have come to visit, but today I still managed to sneak out early morning to do 3.5 miles without compromising our time together. The clock on my phone says my run was all within 8 minutes per mile pace, although I have no way of verifying the specific time - which is good, in a way. Sometimes I think paying too much attention to timings - whether they be mins/mile, or time for a specific distance covered - can be a bit too much of a preoccupation; one that only sets yourself up for mood swings according to how well/badly you have run.

The bad news - if you can call it that - is that I seem to have forgotten how to run 8 minute miles. I used to be able to pace myself quite reliably for 5Ks in 25 minutes based on "feel" alone; no watch needed. My running pace nowadays is more like "all out and brief recovery" - a bit haphazard. Maybe I'll rediscover the 8 minute mile pace in the later miles of a long run. Maybe, perhaps, too, one of these days I'll try setting myself a task of running, say, 30 minutes, and not worry about the distance run.

Stretching - anyone has any good ideas on how to stretch hamstrings? I lie down on the floor and place one leg against the door frame, but I'm wondering if there's a better way to stretch. Sitting down, bending one leg, and trying to touch the toes on the other doesn't do anything for me, I'm afraid.