Thursday, January 22, 2009
When the Going gets Tough ...
Today's Run: 3.0 miles (5.5 incline)
Run Time: 29:54 minutes
Total Miles to Date: 915.3 miles
Thoughts on the Run:
So I've been running for over 170 hours since I started this blog, and I think this morning I felt it.
I was up late last night watching the premiere of the new season of Lost. I'm a big fan, probably the only series other than X-Files and Sopranos that I've enjoyed enough to make a point to watch it. I think TV for the most part is worthless but every once in awhile there are some intriguing shows I like to unwind with.
The alarm was not welcome and my first thought was "I have a rest day this weekend, let's just shift the schedule" and I was ready to doze off. I had this nagging thought in the back of my mind that I was resisting because I didn't want to run. Tomorrow I have to get up ultra-early (3:45 am) because I have a Men's Fraternity meeting at our church at 6:00 am, so would I rather do a lower body workout or run? I knew I wouldn't want to run then, either, so I had to get it done.
I dragged myself out of bed feeling miserable and sorry for myself. I decided to make the concession that I would not step outside in the cold, and instead would use my treadmill.
So what do you do when you feel rough and don't want to work out? Do you just force yourself and go through the motions?
Heck, no. Then we'd just get soft and pile on more excuses! I was determined that if I wanted to resist this workout, that I'd make it one that COUNTS.
So, I headed downstairs, turned on my music, and began running. Only I decided to start at a 12-minute pace to warm up ... and a 5.5 incline. That's fairly steep on my treadmill. I quickly picked up to 10-minute pace, then increased the pace by 10 seconds every quarter mile. The challenge for me was that incline ... I wanted so badly to flatten it out as my legs burned and my lungs felt like they were going to burst, but this is how I take a bad morning and turn it into a productive workout. You see, if I did anything less, then I'd wonder if I didn't go through the motions and not benefit because I was tired. This way I KNOW it is working!
My Shuffle dutifully played the sounds of Tibet by Waterbone, great music that put me almost in a meditative state. Just when the run was really catching up to me and starting to wear me down, it shifted to The Matrix Soundtrack with just enough driving force to see me through to the end.
I finished at just under 30 minutes and burned close to 800 calories. Not a bad way to start the day!
Run Time: 29:54 minutes
Total Miles to Date: 915.3 miles
Thoughts on the Run:
So I've been running for over 170 hours since I started this blog, and I think this morning I felt it.
I was up late last night watching the premiere of the new season of Lost. I'm a big fan, probably the only series other than X-Files and Sopranos that I've enjoyed enough to make a point to watch it. I think TV for the most part is worthless but every once in awhile there are some intriguing shows I like to unwind with.
The alarm was not welcome and my first thought was "I have a rest day this weekend, let's just shift the schedule" and I was ready to doze off. I had this nagging thought in the back of my mind that I was resisting because I didn't want to run. Tomorrow I have to get up ultra-early (3:45 am) because I have a Men's Fraternity meeting at our church at 6:00 am, so would I rather do a lower body workout or run? I knew I wouldn't want to run then, either, so I had to get it done.
I dragged myself out of bed feeling miserable and sorry for myself. I decided to make the concession that I would not step outside in the cold, and instead would use my treadmill.
So what do you do when you feel rough and don't want to work out? Do you just force yourself and go through the motions?
Heck, no. Then we'd just get soft and pile on more excuses! I was determined that if I wanted to resist this workout, that I'd make it one that COUNTS.
So, I headed downstairs, turned on my music, and began running. Only I decided to start at a 12-minute pace to warm up ... and a 5.5 incline. That's fairly steep on my treadmill. I quickly picked up to 10-minute pace, then increased the pace by 10 seconds every quarter mile. The challenge for me was that incline ... I wanted so badly to flatten it out as my legs burned and my lungs felt like they were going to burst, but this is how I take a bad morning and turn it into a productive workout. You see, if I did anything less, then I'd wonder if I didn't go through the motions and not benefit because I was tired. This way I KNOW it is working!
My Shuffle dutifully played the sounds of Tibet by Waterbone, great music that put me almost in a meditative state. Just when the run was really catching up to me and starting to wear me down, it shifted to The Matrix Soundtrack with just enough driving force to see me through to the end.
I finished at just under 30 minutes and burned close to 800 calories. Not a bad way to start the day!
Labels: morning workouts, treadmill
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