Week 6, day 1 - Intervals on a treadmill

I went out last night with some old friends from high school and didn't come in until almost 1:00 in the morning. I tell you this because I did not run this morning as I had planned to. I took advantage of my mother's generosity and slept in while she cared for my children. We spent the day shopping in Portsmouth, NH and had a great time. By the time we got home, it was nearly dinner time and I knew what I had to do...there was no putting it off any longer, it was time for some C25K. I can't lie here and tell you I am feeling as enthusiastic about this as I usually do. Au contraire, I am finding it very difficult to motivate. The one thought driving me here is that I will be so let down and will let so ma people down if I flake out at this point, so I must keep going and hope that I'll get my mojo back sooner than later.

So, I changed into my running clothes, put on the new shoes and hit the treadmill. What I liked about the treadmill was how I could experiment with my pace while I was watching my time. I liked that I could kick up the speed and then see if I was going to be able to go the distance. It was kind of cool to turn up the speed dial and finish each segment with a 60 second push. What I hated about the treadmill was how I could see the time. While I did enjoy the benefits previously mentioned, I did find that my mind lingered much more on the task at hand while I watched the seconds tick away. I really think I do better when I am completely unaware of the time and either respond to prompts to walk or run or just run while listening to my audiobook and checking the time once I've come close to a mile marker. Like we've all learned so well along the way, so much of this process is mental. What I was putting out physically wasn't any more than usual, but I still seemed to be harder. I don't know...what do some of you treadmill runners think? My next run day is supposed to be on Sunday. We're having a big party at my parent's house and I fully expect to eat and drink a lot, so I have to, have to, have to run in the morning. It is also expected to be extremely hot, so I think I will hit it on the treadmill again, but maybe this time I'll hide the display and go with my podcast again.

Once again, I've written this on my mom's iPad and editing is kind of hard, and for some reason, the spell check button doesn't come up on the page. So, my apologies for typos and errors and I hope you will continue to bear with me. I hope you all have a safe and happy Fourth of July. A very special shout out to my amazing, wonderful husband who will be celebrating his birthday on Independence Day without me and the kids. I love you and want you to know that in addition to my own drive to do this program, because of your love and support, I continue to be able to say with certainty, I CAN DO IT!