Reflections from my 3 x 2 mile workout

Yesterday, I headed out the door a little later than I wanted. This intern made my run a little hotter and a little more humid than I really needed. This also made the run a lot slower than I expected.

After a mile warm up, I charged off into my first 2 mile road repeat. Sweat was soon streaming down from the brim of my hat. Going up the first long hill, my legs felt as if they were stuck in molasses. My Garmin vibrated that I had reached two miles. The split indicator told me that while mentally I thought I was running hard, in reality I wasn’t. Well, my legs, arms, and body were not working hard. My heart rate was definitely working over time, and I was dripping wet with sweat to prove it.

My recovery is always too short and I headed off for my second 2 mile interval. This one was definitely quicker, and I definitely felt better during it. However, my second recovery period felt even shorter than the first one. The higher intensity was made even more evident by the steady stream of sweat now dripping from my hat.

The last of my 2 mile repeats has a short downhill and then climbs for 3 quarters of mile. The interval finishes with several twice and turns but basically the road is flat.

This repeat was slower than the second repeat but faster than the first repeat. Funny how each feels harder than the previous, but clock doesn’t care about effort, how the body feels, or the weather. It just hangs from my wrist and goes “tick”, “tick”, and “tick”. It never waivers in its sole task of tracking how much of my life has passed since I last checked it.

Reflecting back, I wish my workout been better. There are days when I feel like I don’t make any forward progress at all. Then, there are other days where I feel like I am making huge steps.

Sometimes, I just wish that I could just turn off the part of my brain that “worries”. Life would be so much easier.

 

Sharing one thought at time,

The Cool Down Runner