Technically I was just shy of 6 miles but I am so amazed and proud of myself. This is the most I’ve ever run on the treadmill. It was difficult to get in the groove at first, especially since I had stuffed my face with veggie pizza at Ella’s and the most delicious chocolate dessert ever at Cuba Libre the night before.
My goal was to run 6 miles in under an hour and before the 30 minute mark I was already planning on reducing my speed and taking a breather – for the next 30 minutes. I paused the treadmill for a drink of water, gathered my thoughts and kept running.
My husband who was on the treadmill next to me had suggested I watch some TV so I switched it on and was enjoying a Say Yes to the Dress re-run. By the time I was at 30 minutes it had driven me nuts. The stories on that episode made me want to laugh, tear up, I was annoyed by one of the brides, it was a mess. I turned it off and listened to my music instead. This just goes to show how much of a natural runner I am not. I don’t think people that hit the pavement every morning for a 3 mile run, rain or shine, require as much concentration as me. I literally talk and motivate myself through the whole thing. I should add run without wincing to my challenge list for the year.
At 45 minutes my husband signals for me to look at his pace/miles so I could see that he was way ahead of me although I started before him. Then he tells me “do intervals for the last mile.” What? Really?
My first instinct brought out the brat in me – you’re out of your mind, NO!
Then I remembered my goal of 60 minutes and realized that if I didn’t step up my pace I wouldn’t make it. I paused the treadmill one more time for a drink of water and started up again. For the last ten minutes I alternated between 6.0 and 7.0 mph every minute. That was TOUGH! It worked though, by the time the treadmill moved into the cool down phase at the 60 minute time limit I had traveled 5.95 miles. My heart was about to leap out of my chest and a small headache was brewing but it was worth it.
No more easy beginner 10K training for me. I’m going to step it up and do more intervals and longer distances instead. The countdown to my first big race starts now!
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