The ghost of runs past....

I almost didn't even make it to the gym this morning. My key fob thing (is that what it is called? ) was missing. I was resigned to sneak in to the gym using the mister's key fob but it turned up in the back of the car... so I was one part relieved (they charge $35 to replace those bad boys!!) and one part annoyed because I had spent 20 minutes tearing the house apart looking for it.

Anyway. The gym was less packed than anticipated for a Saturday morning. I hopped on a treadmill and thought up a nice little workout to make the run less than torture. I figured I'd do 10 minutes warm up, then five times three minutes hard, two minutes easy. The warm up was fine so I turned the pace to 7:13 (just starting to get back in shape...this used to be a long run pace....) and put my towel over the time/distance/pace screen. The treadmills at the gym each have a TV on them so I switched mine on just in time to catch the greatest show ever- SportsNation Turkey's. This show featured some goofs and misses that made me actually laugh out loud, at the gym, during a workout- and made my first three minute repeat turn into six minutes total, without even realizing it. So the workout changed to six minutes hard, three minutes easy (twice) followed by three times three minutes hard, two minutes easy ( I think?). Whatever- it was 5 miles total in 37:47. 7:33 pace overall.

I checked my running log from 4 years ago and I ran 6.5 miles at 7:23 pace. Thinking about how easy running so fast used to be usually makes me frustrated.   I know why I not as fast as before (helloooo weeks off at a time...) and I know what I need to do to be at that level of fitness again. It is just that actually committing to that again is not easy- which is part of the reason I started this blog.

I love to run. I love to be fast and I love to work hard to be fast. I want to again challenge myself to become the best runner I can be.

Old Man Winter

I'm sorry to say that winter has finally arrived in Minnesota. We've had a lovely, mild autumn, and  yesterday was 60 degrees (!!!)..but all good things must come to an end. It is barely above freezing this afternoon.

Winter running is one of my least favorite things ever....well, at least most days of winter running. I used to be tough, and ran outside on all but the most brutal days. One of my favorite runs was a day in December or January back in college, and my coach told my fellow distance girls and myself to go out for 45 minutes...it was windy, sleeting, and freezing, but we toughed it out together and ran outside. When we got back inside and thawed, our coach (who was bundled up in a floor length down coat) commented that maybe we shouldn't have gone outside. Too little, too late for that Tim!

Now that I am an old lady that is no longer running every day with my ten best friends, I have found that I am also not as tough as I used to be. Running outside in the winter is something I cannot bring myself to do alone! Unfortunately, treadmill running is its own kind of challenge/hell so running inside is hardly a preferable alternative. I have bounced around from gym to gym all over the area, from the posh (Lifetime SLP!! I'll never get over your luxury....) to the less flashy  (YMCA in WSP-my HS locker room beats this place) but none of these gyms have made the treadmill experience less terrible.

However. I'm not an idiot. I am lucky to be able to afford a gym membership and to live in an area with trails/well lit streets. So no excuses this winter. I am going to run at least 5 days per week, so when the beautiful Minnesota summer rolls around, I will be in shape to enjoy those long runs on the river and lakes.