How much can you achieve by undressing

13 March 09
6 miles - 51:40 min - 16ºC (60ºF)

...well, apparently there is a limit to how much you can achieve by undressing.
It's a warm sunny day today, real Spring, primroses, crocuses and daffodils are suddenly blooming everywhere.
So, instead of leggings I put on shorts.
The other day I took off sweater and improved my time nearly by two minutes running with just a t-shirt on. Today I took off leggings, but the time didn't change much.

I note this to myself with amusement, not concern.

When you run regularly and time your runs for whatever reason - out of habit, to monitor training progress, to try to hit a certain target, to make use of an expensive birthday present - it's easy to become a performance freak. You make yourself work harder than you want, you get upset over a split second lost over yesterday's run, you start worrying about every little ache in your body, you get tired and you don't relax - and in the end you lose what you started running for - enjoyment, the pleasure of physical and mental release running gives humans (and dogs) like very few other sports. Usain Bolt, the Beijing Olympics champion from Jamaica, wouldn't be such a star if people didn't see clearly how much he enjoyed running.

Photo by Richard Giles