Run Thirteen: Lucky 13!

Still not in Africa. I don't know where
my phone is getting that.

I didn't make my goal for Run Thirteen. My goal for this run was to run all of the running intervals (two three-minute intervals and two five-minute intervals) and two one three and one five at 3.5 miles an hour at least. I did do all of the running time and the first three minute interval I ran at 3.7 mph. After that, though, I couldn't stay above 3.3 mph. Sigh. I touched on 3.5 in the last five minute interval, but couldn't stay there.

I had mentioned that 3.5 miles an hour was a stretch goal, right? I wasn't kidding.

Despite not quite making my goal, it was a good run. I felt good and enjoyed myself. And I don't feel like I'm laboring and struggling -- though that may be a Gift of the Treadmill and not exactly quite real. But I'll take it, because it feels awesome. :D

The treadmill is helping me build up strength in both my legs and my lungs, which is very cool. 

Once again the silent TVs added a level of surreality to the proceedings. But my new running playlist was pretty good -- especially for the first half of the run.

Next run, I'll be starting Week Five of the C25K program. Each of the three runs in Week Five is different and the third one is 20 minutes without a walking break. Eeep! I'm not going to think about that too hard -- it's a week away and I'm trusting the program. My next run is three five minute running intervals, which is actually a minute less than I've been doing this week.

Next run is scheduled for Saturday. Goal for the run: Run all five minutes of all three intervals with one of them (at least) at least 3.5 miles an hour. 

Run Twelve: The world was moving she was floating above it and she was

Run Eleven did not take place anywhere
near the equator. Ignore the map.

Two life lessons while running today:

1. I cannot walk on a treadmill and drink from an open-mouthed water bottle at the same time. I wound out putting one foot down on the non-moving edge and stumbling then riding backwards then stumbling some more. The lid to the water bottle went flying, my phone landed on the tread (with my earbuds dangling from my ears) and ultimately was deposited on the floor. I had to hit the emergency stop. It was the least graceful thing I've done in quite a while. (Note I was not even trying to drink while running, which I knew would go badly. This was walking and deliberately at a quite easy pace so I could take a drink.) 
2. I can absolutely do this, y'all!! I mean the running thing, not the drinking on a treadmill thing. I ran all 16 minutes today. All of them. And I didn't feel like I was dying for even a second. Which probably means I need to go faster next time and I will. I'm still buzzing and bouncing over this. 

"And She Was..." by the Talking Heads is still the Best.Running.Song.Ever. 

At least for me. 

I feel like I have wings on my feet and I'm floating and gliding when that song plays. I need to find other songs that work as well for me -- since the weather forecast is suggesting that I'll be running on the treadmill at least through Saturday. (Cold, snow, more cold, bitter damn cold, and maybe more snow is the outline of the week, apparently.) I need to explore the music thing more. I want to put together a good playlist that is timed to the workout.

In addition to the awesomeness of the music (which I'm still humming) the experience of running while *warm* is delightful! I may be kind of hooked. 

That said, I'll probably be ready to get back on the road when the weather turns nice. The TV in front of me today was silently (they're always silent) showing "Little Women: LA" which appears to be that sort of reality show that I think of as "people behaving badly". In this case little people behaving badly in Los Angeles, which is a fertile ground for bad behavior. I would have preferred the puffy purple elephant kids' show from Saturday, which was merely odd.  

The total distance number in the picture above is what I remember the distance being before the Treadmill Fail added to the number after the Fail. (As I said, I had to hit the emergency stop button to get myself reorganized and that wiped out all the data.) Honestly, I remember the pre-Fail number being higher than what I wound out adding, but I adjusted it down because what I remember seems kind of implausible to me now.

My next run is scheduled for Wednesday. Goal for the run: All of all the running intervals and at least one three minute and one five minute interval at 3.5 miles per hour or more (those need not be consecutive). Yes, that is a stretch goal. Also, come up with a playlist that is not all "And She Was" to run to.