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When life (or your kids) hands you lemons...do intervals!


I was so excited to meet my (Sole) Sisters for our usual Wednesday run, even if it was 90-some degrees in the shade.  I busted my butt to get home on time, got dinner made and was out the door to pick up the kids in record time.  We were going to make it!

Then, everything went sideways...Murphy's law, I know.

Discussions about behavior, cranky, crabby, and otherwise unhappy, my kids were not cooperating with my plan.  To top it all off, I realized when I did get home that in my rush to get out the door I'd turned OFF the oven I'd preheated, so the dinner I'd busted my butt to get done early was not even halfway cooked. Sigh...

What to do?  Skip the planned run or find another way?  I opted to take the kids with me to the gym and run on the treadmill.  The alternative, no run at all, was even less appealing than the "dread mill."

Dutifully I stepped up, wondering how I was going to combat the boredom that seems to creep its way into just about every one of my runs on the treadmill.  Then it hit me, I can play with my pace and know what I'm doing - I've got buttons to control it all!

Next thing I knew I was looking forward to my improvised 4-3-2-1 pyramid interval workout. I started out with an easy warmup for five minutes and then kicked it up to my first interval, 4 minutes at 10:00/mile.  

I didn't really have concrete pace ideas in my head but I knew I wanted to do something with 9-11 in remembrance.  Not really familiar with these treadmills, this was as close as I could get for 3 minutes.  


Pardon the blurry pictures, 
but I took them WHILE I was running! :)


That felt really good so I figured, why not go for it? Let's see how fast I can go.  So, after a two minute recovery period I kicked it up. 



8:40 is not a pace I'm used to seeing.  Or maintaing.  So, I was quite surprised I was pretty easily able to hold it for 2 minutes.  In fact, I'd begun to accept that I wasn't ever going to get my pace in the 8 minute range.  Boy did it shock me when I ran this and felt really good!!!  Now I was curious, how fast could I really go?  I kicked it up again.



This was starting to get more difficult.  I really had to concentrate on my turnover and my breathing!  But, again, I could do it and still felt like I had more in me!  One more time I kicked it up.  8:00 pace was now the goal.

I never knew I could do this!


For one minute I held this pace and still felt like I had more to give!  This is a huge victory for me. I've always been critical of my lack of speed speed, and had really talked myself into believing I wasn't ever going to be faster than I am now.  After tonight's workout I can tell you, that's crap!

I can be faster, and I WILL be faster!

I would have pushed the pace even farther, but I had to pick up the Gotta Run kids - the childcare was closing for the night and it was quickly approaching their bedtime.  

Those progressive intervals really 
worked up a SWEAT!

What have I learned?  I can, if I believe I can.  Whatever it is.  Speed, a full marathon, you name it.  If I believe I can, I can do it. And so can YOU!

What are your tricks for the treadmill?  I'd love to hear them!

Gotta Run :)

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