Running

Will you specifically do those distances? Seems a curious thing that happens quite a lot in running and I never get it.

This is me. I like plans and building up to things. I can't just "go for a run" unless I've no other option. I need to have a target distance in mind and almost always a specific route. I like the routine of it.

Part of it is wanting to compare myself to previous efforts, and having the same route removes one of the variables. Another part of it is that if I didn't have a plan of "Run 7k today" then I'd just go for a run, get to about 1km and the "fuck it valve" would blow and I'd give up and come home having only run 3km or so.

The only time I just "go for a run" is where I can't have planned things before. Usually this is when I'm away from home on holiday or for work.

One of the nicest random runs I did recently was on holiday at lake Annecy in France. We rented bikes and cycled to the Sevrier beach with wife and daughter. My daughter wanted to go for a run so she started with me but was complaining of a sore calf after 400m so we doubled back and I dropped her off. I then turned around again and ran 2.1km away, turned around and ran back to make it an exact 5k. Back into the beach area, trainers and socks off and jogged straight off the end of the jetty into the lake. Bliss.

Like if cyclists only did rides that are the length of time trials

I used to do lots of Audaxing, so I'd often do my own rides that were as close to multiples of 50 or 100km as possible.