Yesterday I told my coworker that I was going to trail behind her on the Half training plan. I didn't want to steal her thunder, as she likely will be able to complete the plan and intends to run the race. However, she got excited and said I should run the race, too, even though I would have to jump ahead on the schedule. I told her I would see.
But now I am committed to sticking with the schedule.
So it hasn't rained in weeks, but now that I am back on the running horse, rain is forecast for my second running day. My plan calls for two miles, which will take me at least 25 minutes. I want to walk to cool down. Sun comes up at 6, have to be home by 6:30 to have time to get ready for work. Factor in a chance of storms, screw it. I'm getting up early and going to the gym.
What's this gym I speak of? Oh, yes, we're members. Husband goes periodically, but I do not like many aspects (candy and soda machines in the lobby? bugs crawling all over the yoga room? irrational ever-changing schedules? no web presence?), so I have been begging him for well over a year to change the family membership down to a single. He has not, so it's up at 5 to go to the gym.
I've walked on treadmills a lot. They make me dizzy. I think I've only ran on one once, and it seemed way easier than running on pavement. Since that day I have labeled treadmill trainers as taking the easy, er, "road."
Thankfully, the gym is all but empty at 5:30, so I hop on and take off. I didn't stop to calculate the mph I needed to set it to to achieve my 13 minute or so pace that I am used to. I left the terrain 100% flat. After a minute or so the pace scrolls across the screen and I was somewhere in the lower 12s. Uh-oh. I won't be able to maintain this.
The mileage was not moving. I mean, it was barely ticking along. I was bored. There are tvs on the monitor, but then I couldn't watch each 100th of a mile crawl by. I didn't have my mp3 on at first, but I finally got Eminem fired up again. I was so bored. It was like the longest straightaway of all time.
And I was getting quite tired. I was stiff and it was awful. The only things I wanted in order were 1. to stop running, 2. to rest my hands on the sidebars, and 3. water. I slowed the pace down to the 13s.
I barely made it to a mile. But I ran 1.04 yesterday and I refuse to stop short of the previous run, so I went 1.1 mile, then leaped off to the side. I nearly fell, for real. I can't stand treadmills (ok so not all the rage is gone) - they make me so deliriously dizzy! I slowed the pace down to a walk for a tenth of a mile.
I really wanted to go 2 miles, but I didn't have time to walk it, so I took off running again. I made it another .5 mile, then walked the rest of the way to 2. I managed to keep my arms off the bars until that last .3 mile walk. I think I finished the 1.7 miles around 23 minutes. Youch.
So training on the treadmill: Harder than I thought.
Training for a half: Not going so well.
Going to the gym pre-dawn: Good option.
Weather: Indoors, but still quite warm
Time: 5:45am, Approximately: Run 14.4, Walk 2, Run 6.6
Distance: 2.57K/1.6mi (just run)
Elevation: 0
5K/10K: 43:01/1:30:55
Pace: 13.13
Post Run Health Update: My lower back was really sore all day today. Sore, like the way it was after the blood patch. Ugh. Pounding the treadmill was likely not any more gentle than pounding the pavement, especially since it makes me run in such an unnatural way. Slight headache, not as bad as Wednesday. Legs very sore. Knees fine, right knee "bruising" didn't occur today (more time taken to align the strap).
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