I'm a mixed breed

I have always enjoyed my tempo and intervals sessions but despite my love of speed sessions I have never considered myself a "short distance" runner. Although I would do shorter distances I always thought I was a half marathon runner who was trying to become a marathon runner.

Then Little A came along and my focus changed from quantity to quality. I knew 2-3 hour long runs wouldn't be on the cards for a while. What I didn't know was how much I would enjoy the shorter distances. Or more importantly that I can achieve more over these distances than I could in the longer.

Problem solved... Become a short distance runner! But its not that easy!!!

Despite absolutely loving my current training I just can't shake this nagging desire for a marathon. I ache for that 42.2km. Adelaide only has one marathon each year which happens to be this weekend. So any desires for another marathon would mean travel. Shorter distance races though are much easier to come by with at least one suitable race each month.

When looooong runs were out of the question it was easy to focus on the shorter distances but now that we have reached a point where training for a marathon is possible I feel torn. Little A and I are now running together in the stroller which gives me a lot more flexibility for length of runs. Intervals and Tempo Runs on the other hand are a bit more a challenge with a stroller (or at least they are for this beginner!).

At the end of the day the problem is I love it all. I loved the 5km, the marathon and everything in between. I wish I was a "pure" short or "long" distance runner but I'm not.

Marathon Runner Vs The Sprinter



For now though my focus is the 10km race this weekend. If I achieve my goal time then it will move to a half marathon in 8 weeks. If I don't achieve my goal time then I will do another 10km in 8 weeks instead of the half.

After that... I don't know.I have 8 weeks to work it out. What I do know is this:

- I want to become a "stronger" runner
- I want to have peak health to grow our family when we choose to
- I want to continue to enjoy running without it ever becoming all consuming
- I want my training to be efficient... if I am going to be away from my family, then damn it I will make it worthwhile.

I'm not sure what distances and styles of training will best suit these goals but I will let you know when I do!

Are you a short or long distance runner?
Do you ever want to do it all?