Be Nicer Than Necessary (+ desperate plea for treadmill tips...)

That is my mantra right now! I hope that if I repeat it enough, I will be able to actually do it!

I'm currently in a situation at work that really makes me want to say 'It's not me, it's her so there is nothing I can do to 'fix' this.'

But that would be lying.... there is always something, even if it's just being a little nicer. How 'nice' I am should NOT depend on how the other person treats me.

(And I feel like I need to clarify: nice DOES NOT = door mat! Wrong is wrong & I won't just let it happen in the name of 'nice'. Being 'nice' is about being more positive, not talking negatively about others and trying to be more approachable. It's possible to be 'nice' & still be a boss! :)

-------------And on to my running happiness (insert big goofy smile here!)----------

I went to the track Thursday morning since I didn't have to be at work & I tried ROCKED my Yasso 800's! My goal pace for my 1st 1/2 really is more focused on staying healthy, so it's not a speed goal. But my runs lately had me in serious doubt that I could even hit that pace. I did 4x800 @ 9'00 with a recovery lap. Each week I will add another set.

Friday I did an easy 2 miles, and I'll long run (still building up - 7 mi) Sunday before church.

I ran my track workout and my 2 miles in my PureCadence shoes, I'll run my long run in my Adrenalines. Speaking of Cadence.... when I have to run on the treadmill, I'm trying to take advantage of the always-in-your-face stats and I'm actually counting my steps per minutes. I can't get to 180. I wonder if that's because I'm on a treadmill, or if I'm really just that awful at taking small, fast steps!

Since I'm having to stay on the treadmill for a lot of my runs until the weather changes, anyone have any tips, tricks or just plain common sense info about the treadmill that I should know? Because I sure am completely clueless in that area...I'm serious...assume I know nothing and tell me everything! (Can you sense the desperation?) For example, I think I read somewhere that putting the incline at 2% makes it more like running outside....but I don't know what 2% is when the treadmill elevates at increments of .5!  Please Help!!! :)

Runtastic Weather....or not :)

This has to have been one of THE longest weeks EVER! I took my 5th graders on a field trip on Tuesday.... that seems like FOREVER ago!
Wednesday my oldest son was supposed to have pictures with his soccer team. Too bad I was the only one who showed up! I would have thought I was the one with the wrong date, but the photographer was there too and she said it was supposed to be our team. So instead, I dropped him off with my sis, who already had Josh, and I went for a run....

....and about 5 steps away from the house, it started to rain. You know what I did? I just looked up at the sky, smiled..... and then turned around and went back home.... I had to change my shoes! :) I had decided to take my brand new PureCadence Brooks out for a run, but when the rain started, I changed my mind - I put my faithful  dark purple adrenalines on and headed back out.

"It'll probably stop soon..." I told my sister..... "I'll just keep running until I get to that sunny patch over there..." I told myself. 

Neither of those happened but I had a blast! I ended up doing almost 3 miles in the POURING rain - it was not drizzling, or sprinkling - it was definitely pouring. By the end, my shoes were squishing and when I got home, I was literally dripping everywhere I went.

Honestly, I only felt that way as I ran out, running back I was just ready to be home and dry! I kept thinking the faster I run, the sooner I'll be home!! I also still had my cell phone strapped to my arm and I was more than a little worried that I had COMPLETELY fried it (don't worry - the phone is miraculously ok).

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Life (work, boys, soccer, weather, errands, the earlier sundown times) prevented me from getting ANY other runs in this week, keeping me at only 2 runs before my long run on Saturday! I'm really having a hard time increasing my weekly mileage. Which brings me to Saturday...

I re-joined the local YMCA for like the 5th time in my life! It is the only gym in our entire county and my only access to a treadmill. I have an elliptical machine and my grandmother has a stationary bike, but if I want to do some good old fashioned treadmill runnin', I've gotta hit the Y.

Saturday, after Cam's 8:30 soccer game, I did just that. The boys went to 'child watch' (the gym's free child care service) while I tried to do my long run on the treadmill - not ideal, but better than not getting it in at all right? I dreaded the idea of 6 miles on that thing, plus I only had an hour before I thought Child Watch closed, so I ended up doing a 5 mile progression run instead. I did the 1st mile super slow b/c it also doubled as my warm up, and then finally ended with my last mile at something close to 8'14 - I can't remember exactly - but it felt great!

I'm afraid I'm going to have to do A LOT more of my runs inside on the dreadmill treadmill until soccer season is over and the temp cools off more. If I wait until 7 when the temp finally drops it's almost dark! I can't wait for the first cold front of the season - please come soon!

Have you ever run in the rain? (How did that work out for you?)

How does the weather impact your running schedule?

What's your favorite season? Why?

I LOVE Fall - candy corn, football and jeans. (Jeans? You may be asking - but Summertime in Florida is just waaaaay too hot for jeans and I loooove them! I also love sweaters, which is why Winter is a close second - fall in Florida is still WAY too hot for sweaters...)

Treadmills, Wild Hair & Speed Work... OH MY!

S1) Treadmills: I had to do my "easy" run at the local YMCA yesterday and it was definitely a learning experience! I NEVER go - don't have a membership (just had to pay $6 to work out for the day) - I've always felt SUPER awkward working out in public. I mean, it's like running on a stage for EVERYONE to see - eeek!! But I really needed to get his run in, so I sucked it up and went for it.... and fell in love with the treadmill!!!
     I am absolutely terrible at maintaining pace, but on a treadmill it kinda forces you to stay on pace - no accidental speeding up or slowing down. So, let me rephrase that - I love/hate the treadmill!

2) Wild Hair: And really, this is just an extension of #1. While at the Y, I thought, 'Oh, I'll be running inside, in the a/c, so I won't sweat so bad!' So, I didn't braid my hair or wear a headband - I just pulled my hair up in a default pony tail and went at it... and ended up with a tangled mess of super-sweaty (ew! gross, I know) hair. :(  Lesson learned - you still sweat when you work out in the a/c!  ((Told ya' I'm new to this!))

3) Speed Work = Epic FAIL Learning Experience: I was supposed to do 3x 1600 @ my goal race pace - 8:45 w/ 800 jogs in between. Key words: supposed to. I hit a major, MAJOR wall after the 1st repeat. I got about 1/2 way through the second when I had to stop and walk. I ended up splitting the remaining sets into 800s and walking 400 in between. I'm not really sure what happened out there today, but I'm working on a few theories. (FYI - I did this exact same workout a few weeks ago at just a slightly slower pace with no problem - it was tough, definitely, but I did it.)
 As a newbie, I research EVERYTHING as it happens to me and this is what I found:
Training Fatigue

Have you every hit a training rut? How did you deal?


Do you love or hate the treadmill? (Or both like me?!)


Train by effort or by pace?