And I ran...

I ran so far away....

Sorry, pardon the singing.  Good morning!

Right now, as I type, I'm eating a breakfast of frosted mini wheats (OK, they're the store brand so they're called frosted mini spooners, but you get the idea).  I don't drink milk, so I eat my cereal dry or with a little applesauce.  These are dry.  I haven't had them in a while and had forgotten just how tasty they are.  Yum!

It smelled a bit like spring this morning (hello 40s!) and even though it's not sunny, I swear that I have an extra pep in my step.  Spring...get here now!!

Last night I had stuff to do, but promised myself that I'd get to the gym and squeeze a workout in.  I had planned on cardio and legs, but just cardio happened.

My plan was to run.  And run I did.  I hate the treadmill, but it was a bit too cold for my delicate self to be running outside.  My stomach was hurting, more on that later in the day, but the run was non-negotiable.  So I went for it.

I ended up clocking 3 miles in about 42 minutes, which isn't too bad.  I walked for about 5 minutes to warm up, and then took a quick break between each mile, just enough time to grab some water, and find a good upbeat song to start again.  I think my two breaks totaled about 1/4 of a mile, so not too bad.

I'm slow.  I've addressed this before.  My body was definitely NOT built for speed, or for running, but I fake it.  When I'm time crunched by need to get my heart rate up, I've been doing what I call a quick mile.  I run at a comfortable pace (usually 5.5) for 3 minutes, then up it to 6.0 for two minutes, then 1 minute at 6.5, 1 minute at 7.0, 1 minute or 30s at 7.5 and so on, then back to 5.0 or 5.5 to recover while still jogging.  It depends on the day as to what I can handle.  What amazes me about this routine is how quickly you hit that mile. 

Last night was one mile consistent at 5.5, then another using the above method, then the final mile starting at 5.8 for half, then 6.0, and then ending at 6.5.  It felt great!  And I found that by taking the little walking breaks in between and mixing up my pace, I wasn't nearly as bored as I usually am.

I think I really need to sign up for a 5K so I can check it off my list.  Speaking of lists, I think I'm going to make one.

Have a great day!!