Run, then Grub

Made the 25 mile drive to Novi's Running Fit store tonight for the Monday night group run. Finally made myself hold back and just ran easy for a whole 7 mile route. Wow, I actually CAN run easy!  ;-) Had a great run with Farra and Rick, pals I don't get to see often enough. Afterwards we headed to Gus O'Connor's for some grub and laughs. Always worthwhile.

First outside run with the NB 759s. The first thing I noticed is they breathe very well. Almost too well. My feet were chilly until we got going! Good fit and comfy in the forefoot, but a little heel slip in the back. I probably shouldn't do anything real long in them. No biggie. They were a steal, after all. (No, not literally.)  hehe!!  And I still have my Launches for the long runs. You know, the Brooks Launch, the world's most perfect running shoe. Why do I even bother with any other???  :-)

Taking the Speed Indoors

I headed to the gym for a treadmill speed session today. There are no indoor tracks that I know about around here, so if I want to do intervals in the winter, to the gym I go! It really isn't so bad to run on the treadmill when you're doing intervals since the speedwork breaks up the monotony.

The workout: 

• 2 mile warm-up
• 2 miles @ 6:58 min/mile
• 1/2 mile recover
• 1 mile @ 6:39
• 1/2 mile recover
• 1/2 mile @ 6:27
• 2 mile cool-down

It was a great workout! I found this workout online somewhere quite a while ago but this is the first time I decided to give it a go. It is kind of a mix between an interval workout and a tempo run. I like it and it is well-suited for treadmills. It was hard and tells me I have a long way to go to break 19 min in a 5k, though treadmill paces always feel harder, so it is hard to judge accurately. My 5k race in one week will be the real indicator.

Spartacus II

Yoooowwweeeeee!!! That was HARD! This time I set my watch to beep after one minute and again after 15 seconds, over and over, so I couldn't cheat. It is amazing how fast 15 seconds goes by. And they call it a "rest"???? I barely had time to set down my dumbbells and grab another pair before I had to start the next exercise. Boy was I overestimating 15 seconds the first time I did this! I made it through all 3 sets somehow!

Cozy Couch vs. Snowy Run

Thank goodness for running friends who keep us accountable for getting our butts out the door on mornings like this - when you wake up to a fresh 3 inches of snow!  If I didn't have a run planned with Jaime and Matt, I'm not sure I would have made it. I was so cozy sitting on the couch, wrapped in my blanket with a mug of hot coffee... but I got up, put on my running capris and fun, brightly colored Smartwool ski socks, blindingly yellow Brooksie Way race shirt with a blue vest, hat, gloves and Kahtoolas (yes, I looked a little like a clown) and headed for the Bald Mountain trails for a 9 mile run in the fresh snow. It was tough, but I'm glad I did it. Now back to that couch, blanket and my second mug of hot coffee....  I deserve it.