A few milestones for the good and bad

So the past two weeks have had a lot of ups and downs.   I've broken new records and ventured into new territory

A) Most tired I've ever felt before and during a run
B) 10k PB mid workout
C) Maybe the worst DOMS for my calves ever
D) the fastest mile repeats ever
E) Running 23k of hills in a blizzard
F) Having about 6/10 runs in there that I felt so awful for but still toughed it out
G) Maybe some of the latest I've run in the day (okay not the latest but close to it).
H) Weirdest run experience


A) Most tired.   I think this goes to Monday last week.   That was the hardest 10k I've ever run in my life.  I have no idea where I got any of the strength to do it.   It was a real dig deep kind of thing.

G, F) I'll just get into this one now - pretty much the last two weeks have had me feeling awful.  Late runs, low food, too much food, Feb blues, long hours at work, stress of finding a new domicile... it adds up.  I don't know how I had time to run let alone run though some of that.

B) This was kind of fun.  My workout a week ago Tues called for 8k at 1/2 mara pace or a bit better.   Well I've been aiming for 9mph (4:08/km for a while), so I wanted to see how I'd fair at 9.3mph (4:00).  That's sort of the long term goal.  To really get fast.   As I was feeling up and down through the workout I decided closer to 8 as I was feeling good again, to go for a sub 40.  I thought I did it last year at sportinglife, but that turned out wrong (my GPS had building interference and told me I was ahead of pace - turns out I was just a bit behind... and finished in 40:34).   So sure, why not.  I did one more km at 4:00 and turned it up for the last one.   Finished in 39:45 with 30seconds of the tm getting up to speed.   I felt great about that and confident that I could go faster with some rest etc.  Woohoo!

E) 23k in a blizzard!  What a workout - really a confidence builder.  Sure I felt awful as I have lately but good to do so with a whole bunch of others all suffering too.   As bad as I felt I was, I could tell that nobody was catching up, which does say something, so ahead I went and finished in 2:00:05, which is about 15min slower than had it been clear.   Still a solid effort.   Did I mention I beat 3 cars without snow tires going uphill?  Lol funny stuff.

C) Well it turns out that I'm not the only one with DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) after our run-specific cross training with Nate.   I think 20/20 people all had the same thing.   Lol.  Sharing pain is part of the game.

D) The day after DOMS (came 2 days after the workout) we had our group run day.  Didn't know how this one would play out, but I followed the leader and zoned out.  That was great - I do that sometimes and this was the place to do it.     You just feel like your not running - just following on a train/car/bus and the leader or even yourself is just pulling you along, the scenery whipping by.  Literally -5 x 1 mile repeats  that I'm really proud of:

5:57, 5:51, 5:51, 5:57, 5:52  w/ 2 min rest in between


H) Okay best for last eh?
On Monday this week, which was also one of my latest at 8:30pm start, also after that XT class, I went for a run at the gym.   I figured probably easy to get my treadmill right? (the one with the fan).  Yep no problem. So I'm having a good run, but quite aware of my surroundings (probably because I had no music - ipod out of juice).   So I'm looking around for entertainment and first I notice the woman on the bike just sitting there watching tv.... Yes literally.  Why not pedal even a little teensy bit? She was there before I started and was still there after I left.   Okay.  Weirdo #1.      Then there's a guy I see letting his treadmill run by itself while he's also watching TV - though that's a more common site (Weirdo #2).   Gotta get some good numbers in for the night right?   Tell your friends how far you watched your tm go? Moving on... #3 steps up his game.  Around 40min into my run a guy comes in and gets on in a full parka and snow pants and starts jogging.   Well at least he's jogging...

Best for last?  Well it's a toss up between the girl and me.   Yep I might be weirdo #4 but the girl never 'saw'.    So little girly (skinny girl) gets on beside me (though there are plenty of machines nearby) wearing sparkly clothes and what not.   Fun.  Then she gets a call and thankfully rejects it.  Nice sparkly phone with tons of rhinestones. They still make those?   So I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt, (though she runs 'hard' at 6mph for a min, then jogs at 5 for about 5min each time), until she decides to call her boyo or who knows back.     Little girly slows down to 2.8 walking pace and decides to have a fun convo right beside me.  I'm thinking I'm gonna ask her to get off, remind her its a gym not a park, but my run was almost over and I didn't think she'd really do it. 

Nope. she really did it.   Talked the whole time.   So now I'm looking for a way to get her attention to tell her to get off the phone without actually stopping my run.  I don't want to 'hit' her etc as I'm moving pretty fast and there's only 2k left.  So I figure - weird moves or noise.   I start with both.  I move up from 8 - 9mph. and start panting.  Okay I didn't need to pant but I figure hell its annoying right? this will get a look.   Nope.  Start hitting the floor really hard. Nope.  Start waving my arms around in airplane motions and whatnots nope.   Her conversation must have been that good.   Finally I'm done but still have strides left.  I give 'er one last go - going at 11.5mph and pounding much harder than I need to and panting really loud and whatever I can but she's not buying.  Not even a look.  Heck I was running looking at her with my head sideways too.

Okay I might have been tired and that pushed my annoyance but dude... don't talk on your cell at the gym!! Next time I'm going to run on my hands... I mean just tell you to please get off the phone.

Well that's my week and half... hope you enjoyed.