Yesterday it was raining and I really needed to get in a run. I'm running a 5K next Saturday and had slacked a little in my training. I've been back on track the past couple of weeks though. So I gave in and went to the gym. While I am beginning to love running outdoors, I still despise running on the treadmill. My gym has an indoor "track" but it's only 1/8th of a mile long, and the idea of running around it for 33 minutes did not excite me. Which left me with only one option. My nemesis, the treadmill.
Running on the treadmill use to give me horrible shin splints, but since I realized that it is worth every penny to buy good quality shoes and get fitted properly I no longer have that problem. I am a major over pronator and the treadmill seems the make this worse (btw never a good thing when the lady at the running shoe store says "wow" when she watches you walk and comments that she's never seen anyone with a gait quite like yours). I think I despise the treadmill because I feel like I'm not going anywhere. When I run outside I can see how far I've gone and make goals to get to a certain point in the distance. I love mapping my route online and seeing how far I ran and what my pace was.
Yesterday marked W6D2 for me in the C25K program which meant after a 5 minute warm up I had to run for 10 minutes, walk for 3 and then run another 10 minutes. That may not sound like a lot to those of you who are hard core runners, but for me this is a big deal. I have a heart condition, so I have to take it slow when I start exercising and can't push myself too hard. The first 10 minute run wasn't too bad. I didn't feel like I was going to die, but I was very glad to hear the "walk" message in my ear. The second 10 minute run segement was a whole other story. It's hard for me to regulate my pace on the treadmill. I always feel like my stride is a little off and I think I pushed it too hard the first part of my run. I was ready to quit after about the first 2 minutes, but somehow convinced myself to keep going for at least another 2 minutes. When I reached that point, I realized I could hang in there for just a little longer. Each time I got to the point where I planned to give up and stop running, I realized I could keep running. I pushed through, stayed strong, and before I knew it I had completed the second 10 minute run! It felt so good to know I finished strong and didn't give up. My body ended up being stronger than my mind.
I left the treadmill feeling like I conquered something. Covered in sweat and red faced, but strong and proud :-)
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