Soooo…apparently I’m *really* good at doling out advice and chatting up words of wisdom with ya’ll but the real question is:
Do I practice what I preach??
I give myself a “hell yeah!” on that one, and here’s why…
…last week I talked about my love/hate relationship with the dreadmill. You all offered up some awesome advice — and made me feel much better about not being the only one who has a hard time staying on the treadmill longer than a couple of miles.
So guess what I did the very next morning? I faced that dreadmill vs. going for a run outdoors (which I totally could have done that morning, too). And I managed 6.4 miles in just about an hour. On the dreadmill.
Amazing, right? Wellll…kinda.
Two things that worked for me and got me over that 6.0 mile hump:
– I tweeted out my intentions the night prior. Holy motivation and accountability! Whenever I wanted to hop off the treadmill early the next morning, I thought back to that tweet and soldiered on. Call it pride. Call it stubborness. Call it accountability. Whatever. It totally kept me moving, no matter how much I wanted to call it quits early.
– I found a TV show on-demand that I hadn’t watched in awhile and figured it would keep me good and preoccupied for the hour. Totally worked. I got caught up in the storyline and it was enough distraction to keep me chugging along (that and once I got over the 3 mile hump, it somehow felt less painful as the miles started to tick by, oddly enough). And believe it or not, the longer I stuck to the miles, the quicker my pace – by the end of that hour, I was running in the 7.0- 7.5 range, with a final kick of 8.5!
…I mentioned staying “there” in the final mile or two of each run, focusing on pushing hard, staying in the moment versus letting my mind wander. On Sunday, I put that one to the test as well. My legs were kind of unhappy with me after Saturday’s 8-miler so we went with an old familiar 4.5 mile loop of ours. It was a gorgeous Sunday morning, nice fall feel to the air, ideal for running. My legs got me through the first 4 miles and I was about ready to phone it in for that last .5 mile. But I thought of that post, and my husband’s advice to stay ‘there” and I focused as hard as I could that final half mile. ANd I pushed it. Wicked hahd. Kinda felt like I wanted to puke near the end. Mission: accomplished.
So yeah…I ‘spose I do practice what I preach, huh? Who knew?! 😉
And on that note, cheers to what I’m hoping will be a fantastic week, filled with awesome running weather, lots of barre n9ne and maybe, just maybe, a surprise visit to Core Fusion (more on this later). A fun, fitness filled week…I’ll throw that on my “to enjoy” list for the week. How ’bout you?
EatDrinkBreatheSweat 
Ha, I always think of the “3 mile hump”, too! Once I get past that I feel better for some reason. 🙂
Great job tackling the dreadmill – here’s to another great week!
Totally, from now on, whenever I have to tackle the dreadmill, I’m totally NOT giving in until well after 3 miles…because I now know that it *does* get easier after that to stay on the darn thing 😉
nicely done sis. I will eventually have to learn to love the dreadmill too. until then, I will gladly take to the roads. And I am excited for our week o’ workouts this week, CF included!!
if I can tackle the dreadmill and conquer it, so can you. I’m a believer 🙂
3 cheers for you!!!! Your treadmill workout kicked some serious booty!!! The first 20 minutes on a treadmill are always the hardest for me. I think that’s why I do better with a mid-range distance on a treadmill. I also think that treadmills are GREAT for pounding out fast miles. I always think twice before hitting the button to reduce my speed and I’m generally always focused because I’m scared that I’m going to fall off – which has almost happened to me on more than 1 occasion 🙂 And congrats on the mental focus yesterday…the last .5 miles are always the hardest – well done!
It is going to be a BEAUTIFUL week!
I totally do the same – I never want to reduce my speed on the treadmill, unless its for interval work…otherwise, I like to slowly up, up, up the speed the whole time. Feels like such an accomplishment at the end to see how fast you can go (without falling off, that is, haha)
SO JEALOUS of your Core Fusion visit, if it is why I think it is!!!!
And yes, it is going to be a beautiful week!
It just *may* be for the reason you are thinking. Can’t wait!! 😉
Way to go Jess!
I’m in MEGA taper mode now. But I did do my Yogaworks Body Slim DVD this morning and I”m feeling it, but it felt good to sweat doing something other than running for once. Couple short runs and stretch sessions this week, and the big day is here. EEK!
YAY for doing some yoga – so good for the body, especially given your taper mode! Can’t wait for your marathon…almost here!! You’re gonna kill it!!!
Good for you! i defintiely practice what I preach too! I couldn’t be so passionate if I didn’t!
Exactly. I am passionate about fitness and health and I hope it shows in how I write my posts, but also in how I choose to live my life…by doing what I say, and saying what I do. 🙂
Nice job on the workouts planned for this week! My workouts will just be cardio and strength with a few yoga sessions thrown in there as well.
Sounds like a great plan for your week – ms pregnant lady friend!! 🙂
Nice job on the tread run! Very impressed. And good for you for staying “there” with the last bit of the run. Sometimes it can be really easy to slack off at that last bit. Sometimes I try to challenge myself with a sprint to the end – like if it was a race. Of course, I’m a little odd 😉
No, I’m totally with you – I always try to sprint it out at the end, and almost ALWAYS envision a finish line on race day which totally motivates me to kick it just a little bit harder than normal. 🙂
Congrats!!! Glad you conquered it. 🙂 Now you have this in your back pocket if the weather gets too crazy during the winter.
Thank you friend! That’s exactly right – it was totally why I opted to give it a shot last week even though I totally could have run outside. I wanted to conquer it so next time I have no choice but to face it, I’ll face it without so much dread (I hope).
Love this! And YES – Cheers to a fabulous week! I’m STILL not 100% well – just major allergies, but it’s our 1-yr wedding anniversary today so that’s a great start to the week. I’m hoping to get back into some sort of regular workout routine, too, now that my energy levels are back up. 🙂 xo
YES – that is an excellent and fabulous way to start the week. SOOO wishing you both a very happy anniversary, I love it. And I hope you feel better soon my dear. xoxox
I have a 2 mile hump. I swear, sometimes around the 2 mile mark I just think I’m not going to make it…and then around mile 3 I’m in the clear!
it is the best feeling once you get past that point in a run, huh? I don’t really get that way when I run outside…only tends to bug me when I’m inside. I think because I’m much more conscious of time/pace when I have those big red numbers staring back at me from the treadmill. Another reason I always run garmin-less!
Yay! Great job on practicing what you preach. I tell you tweeting it/saying it out loud really helps keep me accountable.
Also, I agree this is going to be a great week! Enjoy your class with Fred!
I absolutely have the 3 mile hump. It’s always smooth sailing after 3.
Pingback: Core Fusion: revisited. | EatDrinkBreatheSweat
Pingback: A workout-y week | EatDrinkBreatheSweat