thunderstorms and treadmills and books!

it's been a quiet week on the training front, but that doesn't mean i haven't done anything. after last week's recovery, we were slammed in the face with new, hotter temperatures. coach james decided to hold off on speed work until i am a bit more heat acclimated. i promise, this post won't be about the heat, but this time of the year, weather seems to be a common topic among runners. heat or storms or the rare cool front.

tuesday, the usual speed work day, was a simple 6 mile run at marathon pace plus 30 seconds. after struggling through the runs last weekend, for some reason, it felt a little cooler tuesday morning. my run ended up being just shy of +30 seconds, with the last few miles at marathon pace almost. i felt great, didn't feel overheated, so i went with it. i scaled back in spin class this week after a rough morning on monday. my legs were junk, and i know saturday and sunday were to blame. wednesday i felt much better and amped back it slightly. thursday's workout was to be a ladder, 7 miles, starting at 10, dropping 30 seconds each mile until i got to 8:30 and then back to 10. i woke to storms, lightening, and my power blinking off and on. i couldn't tell if it was raining, but all i heard was thunder, and all i saw was lightening. a few texts between the group sent us all back to bed. by the time the storm would have passed, i probably wouldn't have had time to do the workout and get to work on time. dang work! after consulting with james, the plan was to hit the treadmill after work at the payne center.

now, i have a treadmill at home, however, i almost can't stand it. when i'm on a treadmill, i need to be completely distracted from the fact i'm on the treadmill. runners are mental, but i'm probably the worst, it's no secret. and the treadmill is one of my weakest spots. the plan was to do 3, and then go from there. if 3 was all i could manage, then success. if 4, hooray! if 5, i was done! 3 went by slow at time, and fast at times, depending on what came on the ipod. 4 was a bit easier, and 5, well i was almost done. i played with my speed a bit, nothing faster than a 9:20 or 9:30, and cruised in the last 2 miles. on the treadmill, my mind is telling me that my legs hurt, my hips hurt, i can't breathe, i'm tired, etc. it tries every trick in the book to get me to throw in the towel. it tried yesterday, but i fought the battle and won. i was a little proud of myself, and proud i did the workout. anything mental i can tackle is confidence in the bank.

on the way home, i treated myself and picked up my favorite grilled chicken salad from crescent city and enjoyed my night on the couch, READING! my friend jenny maul (hello jenny) turned me on to the hunger games, and i finished it in just 4 days. i'm now starting the second book of this trilogy, catching fire. i can't put them down! i really love to read, and with school starting back next week, it might be a short lived luxury, but i plan to keep it around as a moment of sanity in a hectic and short 2 months of class.

the plan today, enjoy my rest day and prepare mentally for tomorrow's tempo. i will be visualizing success, nailing the paces, and the feeling of victory at the end of the workout.