Running for two--or, mostly walking

Okay, so the new plan, I think it's going to work for a while.  It'll probably work until I get up to higher mileage, or if I get faster, because there is a time constraint when I work out during my lunch break.  Anyway, 3 miles on the treadmill today.  I won't embarrass myself by telling you the time.  Suffice it to say that I ran at a pace that I was pretty much sure I could maintain for 3 miles.  I think I'll try to pick it up tomorrow because I still had some in me when I got done, but I didn't have any more time.

I'm still trying to get my co-worker, Brian, to join the blog.  He's trying to train for St. George this fall, but he's only up to 4 or 4.5 miles a day right now and it is all on the treadmill.  Not that I think he can't do it, nor do I think there is anything wrong with training on a treadmill, I just think he could use some encouragement.  Anyway, the more the merrier, right?

Another 3 on the treadmill.  Blah.  3 minutes faster than yesterday, so that's 1 minute per mile faster (in case you couldn't do the mental math).  Here's the worst thing about my workout today: I realized when I got to the gym that I had forgotten my MP3 player.  I'm sure that running 3 miles for most people doesn't take long enough for them to get bored, but it takes me quite a long time, so I was pretty much bored from the start.  I made it, though, and promised myself that I wouldn't do that again.

I'm kind of regretting telling Paul that I wanted to do a New Year's Eve 5k because I think he's going to hold me to it.  Also, we've recruited some others, so there will be more witnesses.  Oh well, at least it's something to do.  We haven't really done anything for New Year's Eve in a while.  It'll be fun, despite being cold. I guess I should probably try to get some more outdoor running in before then so that it isn't too much of a shock.

Blah, blah, blah.  3 miles on the treadmill.  Blah.  I remembered my music today and was rocking out to tobyMac.  1 minute faster per mile, again.  I guess I should be running faster if I'm able to shave off 2 minutes per mile in as many days.  We'll see what tomorrow holds.

So, I just can't help myself when I'm at the gym.  I have to see what pace the people around me are doing.  The guy next to me today was doing  10:30 miles, but I think the guy on the other side of me was doing a similar pace to mine (he was actually one down, so I couldn't really see).  Yesterday there was a girl in the row ahead of me who was doing 10:00 miles and today there was a girl on the end of the row who was walking at my slowest running pace (if you tried real hard you could probably guess it).  I just find it interesting to see all of the different people and all of the different bodies.  It's a nice reminder of God's infinite creativity.  Each one is unique.  I'm not going to lie, I do compare myself, but not in a, "they are better than me" kind of way.  I just like to see what everybody else is doing.  Of course, sometimes there's a Paul or somebody like him, and mostly I just think of how loud they are (the faster you run on a treadmill, the louder your foot strike is...I'm pretty sure there is a direct correlation). 

Blah. 1.25 miles on the treadmill. Today was not a good running experience, but sometimes you need those bad days in order to appreciate the good ones. So, here's how it went down. I woke up late this morning, so I didn't eat breakfast (well, I ate a granola bar). So, when I came home for my gym break, I decided to eat my breakfast then, rather than getting changed to go to the gym. So, I ate and ended up leaving for the gym about 30 minutes later than usual. It was fine because I have 2 hours and I was planning on running faster again today anyway. Well, I got to the gym and went to choose my torture. I usually try to get one of the treadmills that is directly under a ceiling fan or one that has fans built into the console. It gets so hot at the gym that I really need the moving air to keep me going. Well, all of the ideal candidates were taken, so I had to take one of the ones that was just near a ceiling fan. This did not work out. I averaged :30 per mile faster than yesterday (2:30 faster than Monday), but I only made it one mile. At one mile I was dripping sweat (normal) and was so hot I was having trouble breathing (not normal). I tried to drink some water to cool myself, but I just choked on it, you know, because of the whole having trouble breathing thing. So, I just took it as a sign, walked .25 to cool down, and called it a day.  I've had a lot of good days lately, so I figured I was due.  Tomorrow will be better, so it's no big deal.

Pretty much the same as yesterday.  Blah.  I threw in a little time on the elliptical, but was feeling so beat that I quit that, too.  Maybe I just need a little break.  I've been struggling to stay awake at work, so it could just be that I'm tired.  I'm sure tomorrow will be better after two easy days.

2 miles with Bethany and Marci on the Planet Walk.  Thanks for slowing down a little for me you two.  Anyway, I felt really good during my run and was glad to have the company.  It was a little slick in places, but the trees down there really shield you from the cold.  The puppy was a little sad that I didn't take him for a long run today, since I promised him that I would, but I went home after we ran and took the dog for another mile of stop-and-go running (I'm sure some dogs are good for running, but mine, not so much) and he was satisfied with that.

Tons of errands to run today, most of them for Paul because he can't do them himself, being sick and all.  Luckily my boring errands were interrupted by cocoa with Bethany.  I'm not that comfortable around women in general, but Bethany and Marci make me feel really comfortable being myself, so I was glad to have the girl time today.  Thanks again, guys.