setting a routine

When I go on vacation or travel for work I always manage to fit in one or two runs. Somehow it’s easier to find the time in a non-routine schedule than it is in my everyday life.

This past week I was in Orlando for work, our annual summit. I had several presentations with my team, had to finish up content for other parts of the event during the week, manage a videographer—was probably busier than I have been for work ever before. I flew back west absolutely exhausted. But. Twice I woke up early enough to drag myself outside and run around the golf course on the hotel grounds.

Over the weekend, D and I were at his parents, to attend a family reunion. We ran on Saturday (tired as I was), up San Dimas Canyon and back down to the ranger station. About 6.5 miles in all, it felt really good. We mapped out the run afterwards, along with several other runs we’ve done in the area. I realized we may run more regularly when we’re there than we do at home.

Routine—it isn’t something I am very good at. When I have running partners, I get nervous about setting too regular a schedule. I am a bit afraid of commitment—once I say I need to run five times a week, if I don’t, that lack of follow-through translates into not really being a runner. I end up feeling bad about my running and I have an even harder time motivating myself.

Maybe, though, that commitment is something I need to work on, both for running and as it can apply to other areas of my life. I could use a regular schedule where heading to the gym for a mid-afternoon run is just what I do on Mondays (as I managed to do today.) Once it’s built in, it’s that much harder to lose.