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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

A Tale of Two Runs (The good one!) Speed Work... aka: MIND GAMES!!!

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I had two notable runs last week. One was good, one was BAD! Let's start with the good one, shall we????


Speed Work. All it really is to me is one mind game after another. The only way I get through it successfully is to trick myself.

Mind Game #1: "I'll only make myself do 4 intervals," I tell myself as I hop on the treadmill. After I have completed two, I tell myself, "Half way done!" After the third, I convince myself I can do five. After the fifth, I tell myself I can suck it up and do just one more. Bam.

Mind Game #2:When I have .35 miles left of my recovery, I tell myself, "You have plenty more time to recover." When I have .35 miles left of my interval, I tell myself, "Only .35 miles, that's nothing!"

It is crazy all the tricks I had to do to get myself to do my 800s on Thursday morning. But the mind games worked, because I did what I planned to... plus a little bit more. (Because I knew I was capable and that I should.)


Here was what I did:

1.5 mile warm up (7.0)
800x6 with 800 recovery in between. (Interval = 9.0, Recovery = 7.0)
1.5 mile cool down (7.0)

My original plan was to only have a 400 recovery in between but I didn't think I'd be able to handle little of recovery so I extended it. The first interval was fine, but by the end of the third, an 800 started to seem like a looooong time. That's also when I started to feel throw uppy for the first little bit of my recovery jogs. 

It was sort of weird that at the end of my recoveries, there was like a dark cloud closing in around me and I sort of got tunnel vision... then I would break through it and get clear headed during my intervals. Does anyone else experience this phenomenon!!!???

It was difficult to do six intervals, but I think it was just the perfect amount for me right now. I would not have been able to hold that 9.0 pace on the road. During my last four intervals my body wanted to slow down really badly and the only thing that kept it going was the treadmill.

Fun Fact: For most of my intervals, I jammed out to Waterloo! Seriously, ABBA is the best!!!




I wish Planet Fitness would turn down the heat! It was so hot in there that morning. My shorts and shirt were literally SOAKED through with sweat, which caused my inner thighs to chafe. I guess I have to start wearing body glide to the gym!? How ridiculous.

At the end of my workout, I walked for 9 minutes. The first few seconds of my walk I was meandering all over the place as if I was drunk. I just could not steady myself as my legs were jelly and my equilibrium was off! I had to wait and stretch at work because I was running a little late. There was no way I could have stretched at the gym soaking wet like I was anyway. And I smelled really bad.

So that was my "good" workout. Come back tomorrow to hear all about my BAD tempo run!
Is your gym really hot?
Do you have a favorite song to run hard to?
What's your favorite mind game?

19 comments:

  1. Wow, Megan. You are awesome. Way to go on the speedwork. My gym isn't terribly hot but hot enough. I really dread working out inside unless I am in the pool. I am always listening to music and picking out the songs with the best beats for running. And I do play mind games mostly try not to look at my watch to see my time or distance and then when I finally do, I have to guess. It's dumb but always trying to get my mind off of the hard task at hand.

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    1. I play that same game sometimes! Obviously not for speed work because you are sort of forced to know where you are for that, but if I have like a random 6-8 mile treadmill run, I just cover the computer part with a tab and go for as long as I can without peaking!

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    2. Yes, it's so funny! When I ran on the 'mill I would cover the whole console w/ a towel and try not to peek. Now it's all about looking at my Garmin. One time I was really really good at not looking because it wasn't until 5 mins before my run was over that I realized my Garmin had never started. Ugh...if my Garmin doesn't track it, then does it count?!? LOL.

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  2. Oh! I like this workout. I might steal it. I play mind tricks on myself like that too. It's kind of weird how well it actually works. I hate going to the gym, so I avoid it at all costs, unless the weather is just too terrible. Luckily, Kansas's weather changes like every hour or so, so I can usually sneak out while its reasonable outside.

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    1. I am not a huge gym fan either... the heat, gotta drive there, wah wah wah. But I knew I wouldn't hit those paces unless the TM was forcing me to!

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  3. Guess what. The heat alone would substantially affect the pace and feel of those 800s! I've done speed work on the treadmill in the heat of the garage and on cool days and the difference between the two is HUGE. If I'm sweating through my clothes to the point that my shorts are soaked, then my paces will be slower and feel harder.

    Anyway, what I'm saying is that you're badass. Nice job on those 800s and I bet you a million bucks that once they turn the heat down or when you can get out to the track, you're going to really surprise yourself!

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    1. Yay maybe the heat is just going to give me that little extra edge! :)

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  4. Wow, I give you props for going to the gym before work!
    I find it interesting that your pace improves on the treadmill. My TM runs are always slower than my outdoor runs!

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    1. Well I think it's partly that I'm stubborn and if I just type the pace in I am forced to stick with it or purposefully slow down... Planet Fitness after work is High School CENTRAL! I would be the oldest person there if I went at that time.

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  5. My husband and I actually just switched gyms because the cardio room at our old gym was SO stuffy and hot. I can't handle stuffy and breathing in a mixture of heat and sweat. Way to do the Yasso's on a treadmill!

    I use mind games and tricks all the time - especially when I am in the pool. Just one more... okay just one more... JUST one more. Haha. It works well. I always think to myself, if the finish line were another 100m away, I would still get there!

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    1. Yes you would!!

      Stuffy heat and sweat is the best way to describe the smell at the gym. But I supposed for $10 a month I am getting what I am paying for! I'll still complain though!

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  6. I get too scared to do speed work on the treadmill! I would definitely fall off if I tried to run at a 9.0. I play very similar mind games when I am doing a hard workout!

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    1. The first time I did anything above like an 8.7 was last week. I was SCARED to try a 9.0 but luckily nothing went wrong. Girl I was thinking of you yesterday when I was using my pull up bar. I am scarred for life after hearing your story!

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  7. WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!

    I play all of those mind games too, especially "you only have to do X" and then when i get to X "okay just Y more and then you're done" until it's finally over! I also think of all the ways I can reward myself which usually turns into "you can buy X! As soon as this is done you will go directly home, get on the computer, buy X ...and then go shower!" :D

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    1. Ooh what kinds of things to you reward yourself with buying?? I have never rewarded exercise with buying things but I have rewarded exercise with FOOD. lol.

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  8. Right! Our house is 68 but it feels like a good normal temp. Not stuffy and stuff. You're right all those bodies...

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  9. Those mind games sound familiar! Especially convincing yourself to do just a LITTLE more haha.

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    1. It's so effective! Now why do we do things we have to trick ourselves into doing??? hehe

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