Enjoying my run, enjoy yours !

As I am slowly starting again my training runs (next Marathon, Honolulu, in December), I decided to change strategy.
I need to get grab back the fun in running, and it starts by limiting the pain
- in short, for me, running longer but slower.
The other day I was cruising at 9:30 pace, when I got passed by a runner breathing like a bull. For fun, I tried to follow him to get his pace.
Without doubts, I bet he would not run far. And of course, he backed up after a maybe a mile or so.
Looking at his face and his struggle, I realized he might not enjoy it, but forcing his way through it. I thought, you have to keep the fun in it.
If you push it to the point each step will be a pain, how do you want to be motivated to run the day after, and the day after that one too ?
Challenging yourself goes a long way, a very long way for some, but eventually, that won't be enough.

Stretching in Kalama Park, Kihei

Then I remembered that last marathon, and the pain for the last hour.
Running too fast did not make me any good after all.
Then from now on, I am gonna run slower, but longer.
And make sure to stretch accordingly.
Ough.
Overall, that will takes me even more time than before.
But if I enjoy every minute of it, it would be certainly worth it.(*)



(*): I still do not enjoy stretching, but I know accept it as a necessary evil. I do believe I even made some progress and I am -just a bit- more flexible then before.
I am starting from quite far, obviously :)