Who’s Idea Was This?

I sort of wish that all these folks never told me that I could do a 1/2 marathon.  I was quite content to run 5 Km or 10 Km, in fact all last summer I was running 10.76 because that was the most convenient turn around marker on the road.

I was planning to run outside today but it was pouring down rain and only 5C. Not exactly the type of thing I want to be out in for an hour or so.  My goal today was 12 Km.  It would be only the second time I have run that far and the last time was back in the summer of 2011!  I wasn’t about to let the weather get the best of me so I decided that I’d go to the gym and run on the treadmill.   

I played hockey last night, at the Evanrude Centre, an arena here that has nearly or maybe actual NHL size ice.  We has to move and really work out there.  It might be a bit of a mistake to try to run long distances the morning after playing a game like that.  But when else can I run? I’m not going to run this far after work, and running the morning before hockey would ruin my speed for the game.

This is the time I have, and goals must be reached.  I was chugging along at a good clip for a long time and finished 5 Km (12.5 laps) in under 23 minutes, which is on par with a ‘good time’ for me.  When I reached 7 Km (17.5 laps)I was starting to get hot.  That kind of hot you feel under your skin where if you were at home you’d peel of your shirt and stick your head in the shower. When I got to the 20th lap I had to slow the pace for a bit and took the speed down to 6.5 mph.  I was annoyed, but I was burning up.  Each half lap I increased the speed again until I got up to 7.5 mph again at lap 25, and then up by .1 each lap for the final rounds. For the final lap I put the pedal down a bit and ran at 8.2mph (not my fastest speed, but good enough for today).

I completed the run in under an hour, 58:58.  I’m happy with the time for sure, but I think that if I’m going to be running these distances I’ll have to suck it up and go outside no matter the weather.  I think I would have rather been cold and wet than roasting in the still air of the gym.

Which of those would you prefer?

Updates to the distance and push up count posted and on track!  How are your goals coming?