Maybe I'm Finally Getting the Hang of This

Two nights ago I fully intended to hit the gym and bike around 10 miles to start my triathlon training again. I drove to the gym and circled around the parking lot for a few minutes before I realized that something must have been happening on campus. Not only was the gym parking lot full, but the other nearby lots were packed and there were people milling around. Possibly a show going on in the theatre, which is a floor up from the gym. I decided to call my plan off. I wound up doing a 30 minute core/cardio workout at home instead. My abs are not pleased with me.

Last night I dragged myself to the gym for another treadmill run. I tried very hard to talk myself out of it, again, but ultimately I got on the dreaded machine.

Something I never thought I'd say: The treadmill is growing on me. I like that I can run faster on it, and that I can track my progress. As much as I love my pond trail, and I can fairly accurately count my pace based on time and distance (each loop around the pond is just shy of .25 miles), I don't get the same feedback as I do from the treadmill. Maybe our strained relationship can be improved after all.

Each time I do a treadmill run I try to edge my speed up a notch or two. Tiny notches, but they add up. A couple weeks ago I was consistently running at 5.2mph, and now I'm up to 5.8mph with some forays into the 6s. Still freaking slow, but steady improvement. I ran harder than usual, and embraced the sweat and the pain in my legs. Time seemed to fly by as I focused on my distance and pace, not time. About halfway through the workout I realized that I could reach a total of 4 miles if I stepped it up a bit, so I did. In the dying seconds of my run I was flat out - I got up to 8mph. So that's what an 8 minute mile feels like! And I realized...it's hard. But it's not THAT hard. I haven't been pushing myself enough, so from now on each run I really want to work on my intensity and speed. I CAN do it, I just need to put in the effort and dedication.

The run ended with me furiously pounding away at 8mph, as the distance calculator climbed to 3.96, 3.97....and then stopped. My 46 minutes had come to an end and the treadmill shut down. That 3.97 is going to taunt me for a while, but it will be conquered soon. This was my last workout of Week 2, so my next run will put me up to four repetitions of running 9 minutes, walking 1 minute. I can't wait.