Enjoyment of Running

I sat chatting with a friend of mine from my MBA program last night after class. He ran in high school and started back up again recently. As we chatted, we started to talk a little bit about the enjoyment of running. If we push ourselves too much and burn out, do we still enjoy it? If we aren't training hard enough and setting goals, then what is the point? These two questions are on my mind, and they represent a fine balance between training and enjoyment.

I personally believe setting goals with fitness is key to success. You want to reach milestones and build a stronger self. At the same time, these goals need to be realistic, yet challenging. I don't think waking up after not running for ages, setting a goal to do 10 miles, and going is a smart idea. I do believe that setting a goal to increase distance, or setting a better mile pace is realistic and smart.

The reason I bring this up is this morning I set out on my run, and decide with the leg issues I am having, to keep it a comfortable, good run. I was surprised to see my pace was not much slower than my aggresive training. Overall, I think because I enjoyed the run more, and made sure I was comfortable, I was able to maintain a great pace. So when you go out, listen to your body, set good goals, and enjoy it! If you don't enjoy it, you are doing it wrong and should revaluate how things are going...