Less routine is my new running routine

The Adobe Creek Loop Trail in Mountain View, CA
a new running route of mine 

I've hit the running "reset" button. Many coaches stress routine in their training programs, but I was falling into a "If today is Monday, I must be running ___" kind of rut. It was getting boring and some days were seemingly set on autopilot. Other days, I was trying to fill my "round hole" of a workout with the "square peg" of fitness reality. And after recently reading Becky Wade's book "Run the World", I was struck by how so many of the world's great runners can be quite spontaneous, running workouts they just made up or down paths they've never been before.

So ramping up for a fall half-marathon, I'll be making a point to run through neighborhoods I've run through before, or down new trails. I'll be mixing in different paces at varying distances, unlike the old days where I'd do tempo runs at a fixed length as a weekly staple. There'll be a method to the madness, but I'll make sure there's a little madness to the method. It isn't just being different from difference sake. Changing things up develops a certain focus, awareness and adaptability which can come in handy on race day.

I'm not sure where this spontaneous approach is going to take me, but that's part of the beauty of it.