Workout update: I went to the gym again yesterday. That means I have officially been 6 times in the last 9 days. We’ll pause for a moment while you worship my greatness. On your knees now, like proper little followers. Nice.
I’m planning to go to the gym today as well. I had hoped to get outside and walk, but it is bitter and windy (I know, Cinde, we got nothing on you. But you freaking live in Fargo! What can I say?)
I was talking to a friend the other day and I was complaining about still having slow run times (somehow, over the past couple of days, I’ve gotten even slower–13 min mile being my average.) Yes, I’m faux-jogging on the elliptical at an incline, but still. That’s fucking slow. I’ve never been fast, but come on! I really want to get to a 10 minute mile (which isn’t fast, but it’s a goal that I think I should be able to accomplish) but at this point that is NEVER gonna happen. He kindly reminded me that Tome Rome (we were texting) wasn’t built in a day, and to just keep going.
And he’s right. Sorta. I know this shit takes time, but I’m not the most patient of persons. Also, my competitive nature is kicking in. I must beat this at all cost! I must lose a gazillion pounds in 1 week and run a 6 minute mile for 7 miles tomorrow because I don’t do defeat.
I didn’t realize how much this had brought back my competitive nature. When I played basketball and softball, we won. Period. And if we lost, the coach didn’t have to punish us because we punished ourselves. And I feel that coming back and I’m hoping it’s spurring me on because I only have 3.5 months until the 10K and right now, I’m barely doing 2.5 miles in 30 mins so a 10K will take me 3 hours and I’m not sure if I can do this for 3 hours. I mean, if I’m going to do something hot and sweaty for 3 hours, I should get some kind of reward for it. Like an orgasm. Or hit it big on the slot machine. My reward for 3 hours of running will be blistered feet, aching back, stinky pits, and okay, maybe a sense of pride, too. But hell, we all know I’m not running short on pride, don’t we?
Will this get easier? Will it ever get to the point that I feel great about my workouts more often than I don’t? Will I ever go to the gym out of habit as opposed to making myself go out of comeptitiveness? Or does it really matter why I go to the gym as long as I go?
How was your week in the workout world? Tell me about it!
Tags: competitive, gym
The first two miles is always the hardest. And don’t push it because that’s where you want to be able to think and pace yourself for the rest of the race. Even in the height of my running I was slow starting. The rewards will come when you are settled in a routine of really running and you hit your first runner’s ‘high’. It happens to everyone at a different time/mile whatever. When I would run the half marathon mine was always around mile 7 or so. Not quite an orgasm, but no one can stop you when you hit it. Set a realistic goal for a race and I bet you will surprise yourself and do much better. BTW, my friend April who is a size 2 runs a 10 minute mile on her best day, it’s usually much slower than that! So size doesn’t always matter on your speed.
Robyn, as always, you make me feel better. Not that I’m down, because I’m truly not. It’s just that I WANT this so bad, and I WANT it now. LOL I honestly can’t imagine a runner’s high. I still think it’s BS but I would so love to find it and be proven wrong.
I’m pretty much in denial about my age and weight re: speed. I ran 10 min mile in high school and so now that’s my goal again. I don’t know if I’ll ever get back to that, but I’m going to try. FWIW, my real goal is to finish the 10K so if I can do that, I’ll be very proud.
oh sister, I’m the one that’s down. I want to be back in my skinny jeans again so bad. It pisses me off that I can run like I do and the weight keeps piling ON instead of OFF!!!
I know. that’s what’s so depressing. It’s the 1 really bad thing about turning 40–our metabolism is in the shitter. I’ve discovered if you ignore the hunger long enough, it eventually goes away. LOL
Damned if I know.
Keep on keepin on. you’ll only really fail if you quit.
I haven’t hit the mythical Runners High. But I’ve never run for more the an on and off jog for 30 minutes. Sounds like you have to go more then that.
On coolrunnings.com (where they have the C25K program) they all say GO SLOW. Slooooww… super super slow, if you push too hard, you’ll hurt yourself or become discouraged with what you can’t do yet.
Once you can get back outside, you won’t have that speed to look at, you can go at your own pace without feeling guilty. That’s what I’m looking forward to.
I was just having a conversation about how funny it is that people can ‘know’ what’s right and advise others to that, but can’t apply that to themselves. I am that person. I KNOW that slow is good. I advise that. But I have the hardest time applying that to myself.
I struggle with this too….. I hate running slow. Being slow.
I guess it all comes down to the ultimate goal. I have to constantly keep reminding myself, I’m only capable of handling one goal at a time. I remember when 3 miles seemed an absolutely insurmountable distance at any pace. Impossible! Then 6. Then 13.1. And the ultimate impossibility, 26.2. Now that I’ve accomplished these distances, albeit at a snail’s pace, it doesn’t seem so bad, and I can work on speed knowing that the distance is possible, even for me and my short lil’ legs.
It will get easier. Try not to think TOO much about the end result, but just making progress day by day.
I just tried a new class: Nia! OMG.
Wow, this all seems so over my head. I’m still in the run/walk stage. I’ve barley worked out this week and feel I need to start again on week one. This whole holiday season has me derailed. Right now I’m fighting to just not give it. I won’t give up though because I can’t. I just don’t see how I’m going to actually getting this running back off the ground again and how I’m ever going to actually really run full out. Any attempts now just kill me and and I can only run for about 90 seconds. I’m feeling really out of it. Is it 2009 yet?
HobbitGrrl, you’re right. It all comes down to the ultimate goal. And right now, for me, that is finishing the 10K in March. Not winning it; finishing it. And I’m really trying to point my mind in that direction. It’s just not easy when you’re battling your competitive nature at the same time.
Barbara, I would love to hear more about Nia! I just looked it up, sounds really interesting.
KJ–I understand. I do. I get to about week three of my fitness goals and give up, usually. Just go to the gym whenever you can. And do whatever you have time to do. Since I’ve been to the gym 7/10 days now, I don’t want to stop going. As a matter of fact, I got upset last night when I realized I couldn’t go on Christmas. Seriously, that’s messed up. So my ‘workout’ mindset is changing, even if the fact that I hate the running while I’m doing it. Don’t give up! you can do this.
Thanks HZ. I hope to get back on track. I know once I can start going consistently again I’ll be ok.