August 23 - 6 Miles (Treadmill Style)

After being cooped up inside for days due to Tropical Storm Fay, part of me hoped for a cancellation e-mail last night and part of me was ready to meet with my group and hammer out the 6 mile run at 6 a.m. Well, the cancellation e-mail came, and due to flooding in the area we were supposed to meet in, it was the first-ever cancellation of the Jacksonville Jeff Galloway program. Usually it's rain or shine, no excuses (except lightening). That meant 6 miles on the treadmill (borrring!) but that I could sleep in past 6 a.m. (excellent!) And I did exactly that. In bed at 10 last night, up at 8:15, popped in a piece of toast and quickly headed to the gym to put a thick line through the "6 mi" that glared at me on my Galloway calendar. I tried the shoe lacing "trick" my friend and former UNF runner, Jo, told me about so that the top of my left foot wouldn't hurt - and it worked. I skipped the part that typically presses across my bone, and laced it up the rest of the way. The first mile was good - didn't take a walk break until minute 9. About the 2 mile point I felt the..uh... "I need to GO now" urge. But I pushed through, telling myself I could have been halfway up a bridge and there's no place for an urgent "GO" to happen up there. I told myself to get to mile 3 and reassess. Mile 3 ended at 29 minutes, and I kept going until mile 4. I ran off the treadmill and quickly went to the restroom, then hopped back on to complete the 6 miles in 57:59. My heart rate even saw 184 today. For the most part it hovered around 176-181. But everything was good - got the treadmill I like, tried the new shoe lacing, wore my new New Balance dri-fit shirt, microfiber socks. I also find it funny how I ate literally any and everything in the house yesterday in a fit of boredom. Somehow I managed to get through 6 miles with all sorts of stuff sloshing around - chocolate, a Morningstar Farms chicken patty, watermelon, an entire BAG of soy crisps, cereal with peanut butter and honey, a Larabar, oatmeal, etc. But - six long treadmill miles - over and done!