Today is the first day I've felt even somewhat back to normal after a high mileage day on Tuesday. And the crazy thing is, my mileage on Tuesday was actually not as high as it should have been! It's definitely going to take me a while to get used to this new routine.
Tuesday morning, I met up with my running buddies at 5:15, and we planned to run 7 miles. But it was evident by 5:10 that it was going to be 7 miles in the rain. At times it was coming down hard. But we run in the rain, we just don't run in the lightning.
Well, there were a few flashes just before we started, but no audible thunder, so it didn't appear to be nearby. We set out in the rain.
It was also cold -- low 40s I'd guess. Not a fun combination.
We ran about 3.5 miles out and were stopped for a minute to get water, and there was a big flash and pretty loud thunder. Conveniently, our route was something like a U-shape. We were supposed to run 3.5 miles basically in the U-pattern, and then U-turn for 3.5 miles back.
But when we saw the lightning, we opted for a shortcut back to the start.
So instead of my planned 7 miles, I ended up only with 5.5 (the shortcut saved us about 1.5 miles; it was a really wide U shape).
I got home and I was freezing. I put my long sleeved running shirt that I'd been wearing in the dryer and ate breakfast. But I felt like I couldn't get warm. I had the heat in the bedroom cranked up to 84, and I was standing right under a vent, but I just didn't warm up.
But there was a break in the rain, so I checked the radar and decided it was a good time to head to work.
I put my warm and dry long sleeves back on, but I had to swap out shoes. The 5.5 mile shoes were still soaking wet. (Kind of disgusting? I wear the same clothes for all my runs on Tuesdays...)
So I got back out on the roads and ran the 3.75 miles to work. It was actually much faster than I expected and it felt somewhat easy (I was also lucky to hit all 3 lights just right). And somehow I managed to stay pretty dry, which was a nice bonus, considering how wet it had been earlier and how ominous the sky looked during my commute.
I got to work, showered, got ready, worked all day, and then at about 6:30, headed down to the gym with my accounting walking buddy. It was only our second week of walking together, but this time, she kept her speed on 3 mph the whole time (last week she bumped it down from 3.0 some for quite some time, though we bumped it up higher for the last few minutes). And this week we went 5 minutes longer, and bumped the speed and incline up even more over the last 5 minutes. She did the last minute at 4.1 mph I think. That was tough for her, partly because she isn't very tall, so she mixed in steps of jogging along with the walk, but she did it! I was so proud of her. She ended up with 1.29 miles, which was totally awesome.
Since the treadmill next to hers was taken, I used an exercise ball and did crunches for a while until the treadmill became vacant, then I walked with her long enough to cover a mile of my own.
So at that point, my mileage total for the day was 10.25. Not bad!
And then I did it, I ran myself back home. I tried to keep the effort pretty easy, but I again had good luck with the lights and was pretty happy with my overall time.
It brought me in at 14 miles for the day. On a Tuesday. Score.
If the weather hadn't been so stormy, I would have ended up at 15.5. On a Tuesday! Wow! Who am I? I was feeling pretty thrilled with my 14 and I proceeded to eat a huge (and nutritious) dinner.
But I then paid the price yesterday. I just felt drained. In boot camp, I was wimping out, and I actually didn't even do all of the running. I instead went back to my mat and did some plank attempts, but mostly just whined about being tired. I didn't give it my full effort.
After camp, I came home, ate breakfast, and then set out for work again on foot. One of my slowest commutes ever. And my most miserable encounter ever too -- a woman in her early 20s was jogging with headphones on the wrong side of the street with her big dog on a very long leash. I stayed on the correct side of the road, figuring she'd move, and I said something to her about I was taking the curb, but she didn't hear apparently. And then for some reason, her dog moved one way and she dodged the other and the leash got wrapped around me. Insanely frustrating, particularly since I'm very uncomfortable around dogs I don't know. But I untangled in my irritation/terror and got back on my way. I had a few stops for traffic, but I felt like I needed them. I was feeling slow, heavy and tired. My overall time wasn't bad in reality, but it just didn't feel good.
Needless to say, I opted for a ride home last night. It worked out well since I was volunteering after work anyway, but I needed the break.
Today I'm finally feeling back to normal, but I got beat down again this morning running hills with friends (thankfully only 6.4 miles), and I'm about to head out for another commute to work that will likely be quite slow.
I think it's going to take some time for me to get used to the higher mid-week mileage. And I need to remember that even though walking with my new buddy doesn't feel strenuous, it's still more mileage and my legs know that.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Lenten Plan
This year for Lent, as I thought, my sacrifice is going to be giving up sweets. I haven't done this for Lent in at least a decade, primarily because I don't usually eat much candy, and baked goods aren't around that often. But somehow this year, particularly with candy, I've been out of control, eating some basically every single day I'm at the office.
I had made a pan of caramel brownies to take to Mardi Gras, and I somehow ended up bringing about half of them back home. Ugh. I shared a few with my neighbor and brought a few to work, but I ate too many of them.
I specifically told my husband, no chocolate for Valentine's Day this year. And my original idea for a fun VD night was that we would stop for fro-yo after our Italian conversation class. But that plan was abandoned. But I did eat fro-yo on Monday night after work before we went to have our taxes done. Like I said, I've really been out of control in 2013. I can't remember another year in recent memory where I've eaten as many sweets in the first 40 or so days of the year.
But I've never liked the idea of doing some kind of sacrifice that really benefits me for Lent. It seems so self-serving. I have a friend who gave up cheese, and many others who do sweets or alcohol. But no one seems to give up spinach or brushing their teeth or cooking or warm water in the shower.
And I don't even particularly like the idea of sharing what you are giving up, yet I do it regularly -- both here on the blog, and in person (telling my husband why I didn't want chocolate for Valentine's Day, telling my neighbor why not to bring over the piece of chocolate cake she had for me). I would like to be better abou that in the future.
Anyway, since giving up sweets is a sacrifice for me, I figured it was a good option this year. But I also want to do something that embodies the purpose of Lent more in my mind than giving up sweets.
My ideas:
Calling, emailing or texting a family member daily, and having the communication be one of love.
Volunteering (and I'm doing 2.5 hours tonight, but I don't feel like a weekly commitment is enough of an affirmative act for Lent, and I just don't see how to work in something daily).
Random acts of kindness to strangers daily.
More time for prayer or "Godly" reading.
Reaching out to meet neighbors I don't know.
Snail mail letters to friends far away.
Giving away something I don't need daily -- pulling one item from my house (or wallet) (or body, such as a pint of blood) and giving it to someone who needs it more.
More attendance at church (this has its own issues for me, which is why I didn't choose it).
Paying sincere compliments daily.
I opted for the latter. And I started today with my secretary. She and I had a rough day yesterday. I heard from my office walking buddy (second week of walking together! she made it 1.29 miles!!!) that my secretary called me a bitch yesterday. And honestly, it was probably justified. I was so frustrated by my secretary's constant questions and requests for direction when I asked her to track down a FedEx package that had been signed for and addressed to me the day before, but hadn't made it to my desk. I know I spoke too sharply. I fully deserved to be called a name. I need to work on my patience and my manners. And if something is bothering me, like I think she should have been more professional in her emailed query to the sender of the package, or that I want her to take control of a task rather than having me micro-manage it, I need to say that directly and politely. Anyway... all that to say yesterday was not a good day for us in our working relationship. But today, she is wearing a very pretty top that is a mix of bright pinks and royal blues, along with a blue cardigan. Those colors look beautiful on her. I made a point of telling her I liked the colors. I try to avoid a lot of long "pleasantries" conversations with her -- in the interest of efficiency but also because on some level I don't feel like I like her very much and because she tends to overshare (way too much info about her personal health and medical issues, for example, or her personal financial situation) -- and my compliment led to her telling me a few things about new clothes she was thinking of buying, and how according to her colors, she is a "winter." Exactly the reason I don't usually talk to her much, but something I need to improve. Those pleasantries create a better foundation. And are a sincere way of showing that I care. But I'm starting with compliments. Not just to her, just to someone, at least once a day.
In some ways choosing daily sincere compliments is a way of repenting. Particularly when it comes to complimenting someone I've been not nice to. Or someone who irritates me. That's what I need to do. While I want to compliment my husband more as well, I need to work particularly on complimenting people who aren't my favorites in the world. But I also want to work more on complimenting character, than something superficial like colors or clothing. So instead of mentioning the pretty colors she is wearing, maybe ... I should have tried complimenting my secretary for eventually tracking down that package (and not complaining about her unprofessional emails to the sender, using his first name (which struck me as inappropriate), making others in the office do the searching for her, etc.). I'm not quite there yet. Sigh. But I want to work on it for the next 40 days. Genuine and sincere compliments -- particularly to people I don't compliment enough and particularly about substance rather than appearance.
As an aside, I must mention that one of my favorite parts of Lent is feeling like the world is on the same vegetarian team as me on Fridays!!!!!
I had made a pan of caramel brownies to take to Mardi Gras, and I somehow ended up bringing about half of them back home. Ugh. I shared a few with my neighbor and brought a few to work, but I ate too many of them.
I specifically told my husband, no chocolate for Valentine's Day this year. And my original idea for a fun VD night was that we would stop for fro-yo after our Italian conversation class. But that plan was abandoned. But I did eat fro-yo on Monday night after work before we went to have our taxes done. Like I said, I've really been out of control in 2013. I can't remember another year in recent memory where I've eaten as many sweets in the first 40 or so days of the year.
But I've never liked the idea of doing some kind of sacrifice that really benefits me for Lent. It seems so self-serving. I have a friend who gave up cheese, and many others who do sweets or alcohol. But no one seems to give up spinach or brushing their teeth or cooking or warm water in the shower.
And I don't even particularly like the idea of sharing what you are giving up, yet I do it regularly -- both here on the blog, and in person (telling my husband why I didn't want chocolate for Valentine's Day, telling my neighbor why not to bring over the piece of chocolate cake she had for me). I would like to be better abou that in the future.
Anyway, since giving up sweets is a sacrifice for me, I figured it was a good option this year. But I also want to do something that embodies the purpose of Lent more in my mind than giving up sweets.
My ideas:
Calling, emailing or texting a family member daily, and having the communication be one of love.
Volunteering (and I'm doing 2.5 hours tonight, but I don't feel like a weekly commitment is enough of an affirmative act for Lent, and I just don't see how to work in something daily).
Random acts of kindness to strangers daily.
More time for prayer or "Godly" reading.
Reaching out to meet neighbors I don't know.
Snail mail letters to friends far away.
Giving away something I don't need daily -- pulling one item from my house (or wallet) (or body, such as a pint of blood) and giving it to someone who needs it more.
More attendance at church (this has its own issues for me, which is why I didn't choose it).
Paying sincere compliments daily.
I opted for the latter. And I started today with my secretary. She and I had a rough day yesterday. I heard from my office walking buddy (second week of walking together! she made it 1.29 miles!!!) that my secretary called me a bitch yesterday. And honestly, it was probably justified. I was so frustrated by my secretary's constant questions and requests for direction when I asked her to track down a FedEx package that had been signed for and addressed to me the day before, but hadn't made it to my desk. I know I spoke too sharply. I fully deserved to be called a name. I need to work on my patience and my manners. And if something is bothering me, like I think she should have been more professional in her emailed query to the sender of the package, or that I want her to take control of a task rather than having me micro-manage it, I need to say that directly and politely. Anyway... all that to say yesterday was not a good day for us in our working relationship. But today, she is wearing a very pretty top that is a mix of bright pinks and royal blues, along with a blue cardigan. Those colors look beautiful on her. I made a point of telling her I liked the colors. I try to avoid a lot of long "pleasantries" conversations with her -- in the interest of efficiency but also because on some level I don't feel like I like her very much and because she tends to overshare (way too much info about her personal health and medical issues, for example, or her personal financial situation) -- and my compliment led to her telling me a few things about new clothes she was thinking of buying, and how according to her colors, she is a "winter." Exactly the reason I don't usually talk to her much, but something I need to improve. Those pleasantries create a better foundation. And are a sincere way of showing that I care. But I'm starting with compliments. Not just to her, just to someone, at least once a day.
In some ways choosing daily sincere compliments is a way of repenting. Particularly when it comes to complimenting someone I've been not nice to. Or someone who irritates me. That's what I need to do. While I want to compliment my husband more as well, I need to work particularly on complimenting people who aren't my favorites in the world. But I also want to work more on complimenting character, than something superficial like colors or clothing. So instead of mentioning the pretty colors she is wearing, maybe ... I should have tried complimenting my secretary for eventually tracking down that package (and not complaining about her unprofessional emails to the sender, using his first name (which struck me as inappropriate), making others in the office do the searching for her, etc.). I'm not quite there yet. Sigh. But I want to work on it for the next 40 days. Genuine and sincere compliments -- particularly to people I don't compliment enough and particularly about substance rather than appearance.
As an aside, I must mention that one of my favorite parts of Lent is feeling like the world is on the same vegetarian team as me on Fridays!!!!!
Monday, February 11, 2013
FMM: Personal Quirks and Habits
We had such an awesome weekend at Mardi Gras in Mobile. The weather was lovely, alcohol consumption (for us) was under control, food was good, parades were fun, ball was great. And the flight home yesterday was smooth and easy, and we got back early enough to do a load of laundry and grocery shop. As always, it seemed there wasn't enough time with my best friend, but it was a great weekend.
We've got another weird week coming up. Going to get our taxes done tonight. Tomorrow night, I'm walking with my co-worker again. Wednesday night I'm volunteering, and then maybe we're going to an Italian conversation meet-up and getting there late. Thursday is Valentine's Day, but not sure what we're doing -- maybe just another Italian conversation class. Friday night, we're going out to dinner with our neighbors. Saturday morning is a 5k, and then my law school roommate and her husband come into town, so we're having a little reunion lunch with some other people from our class, and then spending the afternoon hanging out, and then going to dinner, and they'll be staying with us. Can't wait for all of it! Well, except maybe the taxes tonight... but at least we'll know what the damage is and can plan for it, you know, just in case we have to come up with a lot more money in the next couple months.
If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!
Personal Quirks and Habits
1. Share one unique character trait that sets you apart from your friends. That's tough. Most of my good character traits are shared by many of my friends. And since most of my friends are also lawyers, sadly many of my worst character traits are similarly shared! I really can't come up with anything -- I'm argumentative, so are many friends; I'm reliable, so are many friends; I'm a planner, so are many friends; I'm analytical, so are many friends; I like doing puzzles, so do some friends. Not sure what I could say that's really unique from my friends.
2. List at least two pet peeves that always aggravate you. Inefficiency and half-heartedness.
3. Is there a word or phrase that you say so regularly that people expect to hear it from you? Not really. I guess it would be saying some foreign word that is very similar to the word in English and saying "that's ___ for ____." Like saying sensualita, that's Italian for sensuality.
4. Are you a risk taker, or do you typically play it safe? Didn't we just have this question? I guess it depends on the situation, but I guess I generally play it safe.
5. Describe your life as it was in high school. Are you the same person? Have you changed? I had a large group of acquaintances and a small group of good friends, mostly from debate. There was usually some boy on the periphery. I think I'm the same person in many ways, but of course I've changed too. I was surprised at my 10 year reunion that some people didn't seem to have changed. I think I'm much less petty, sensitive, conformist, insecure and confused than I was then. But at the same time, I'd still be considered studious and smart, "debate" (well, litigation now) is still central in my life, etc.
6. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done that you’re glad you did? I backpacked alone in Europe one summer in college after my friend backed out. One of the best experiences of my life! I love traveling with my husband and with friends, but few people travel for long periods of time alone, and you get to have so many more interesting experiences that way.
7. Do you ever talk to yourself? If so, share an example. Not out loud, but frequently when working out I tell myself to just keep going for a set amount of time or to a landmark ahead. Somehow it works. Even though every single time, I pretty much make myself keep going. Like doing a plank, I'll say 15 more seconds, then I'll do the 15 seconds and say 15 more seconds. Or while running, I'll say, let's just push to the intersection, I'll get to the intersection, and then I'll aim to push through, and then to the next intersection...
8. Share something you did that unexpectedly helped shape your life. Studying abroad in college. I knew it would change my life, but little did I know that more than 5 years later it would change my life again. It lead me to an Italian group in Dallas, which was where I met my husband.
9. Do you follow a strict routine, or are you a free spirit? Are you somewhere in between? I'm pretty much a routine person for my daily life. I find myself sticking to a pretty regular schedule. But on vacation, we hate organized tours and stuff like that, so we much prefer to know about 5 things we want to see somewhere and just do what we want, hopefully integrating those 5 things.
10. Share something about yourself that you hope will inspire others. Hmm... since I've shared it before, my first marathon time was over 5 hours, and less than 10 years later, I qualified for Boston.
Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions! Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments.
We've got another weird week coming up. Going to get our taxes done tonight. Tomorrow night, I'm walking with my co-worker again. Wednesday night I'm volunteering, and then maybe we're going to an Italian conversation meet-up and getting there late. Thursday is Valentine's Day, but not sure what we're doing -- maybe just another Italian conversation class. Friday night, we're going out to dinner with our neighbors. Saturday morning is a 5k, and then my law school roommate and her husband come into town, so we're having a little reunion lunch with some other people from our class, and then spending the afternoon hanging out, and then going to dinner, and they'll be staying with us. Can't wait for all of it! Well, except maybe the taxes tonight... but at least we'll know what the damage is and can plan for it, you know, just in case we have to come up with a lot more money in the next couple months.
If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!
1. Share one unique character trait that sets you apart from your friends. That's tough. Most of my good character traits are shared by many of my friends. And since most of my friends are also lawyers, sadly many of my worst character traits are similarly shared! I really can't come up with anything -- I'm argumentative, so are many friends; I'm reliable, so are many friends; I'm a planner, so are many friends; I'm analytical, so are many friends; I like doing puzzles, so do some friends. Not sure what I could say that's really unique from my friends.
2. List at least two pet peeves that always aggravate you. Inefficiency and half-heartedness.
3. Is there a word or phrase that you say so regularly that people expect to hear it from you? Not really. I guess it would be saying some foreign word that is very similar to the word in English and saying "that's ___ for ____." Like saying sensualita, that's Italian for sensuality.
4. Are you a risk taker, or do you typically play it safe? Didn't we just have this question? I guess it depends on the situation, but I guess I generally play it safe.
5. Describe your life as it was in high school. Are you the same person? Have you changed? I had a large group of acquaintances and a small group of good friends, mostly from debate. There was usually some boy on the periphery. I think I'm the same person in many ways, but of course I've changed too. I was surprised at my 10 year reunion that some people didn't seem to have changed. I think I'm much less petty, sensitive, conformist, insecure and confused than I was then. But at the same time, I'd still be considered studious and smart, "debate" (well, litigation now) is still central in my life, etc.
6. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done that you’re glad you did? I backpacked alone in Europe one summer in college after my friend backed out. One of the best experiences of my life! I love traveling with my husband and with friends, but few people travel for long periods of time alone, and you get to have so many more interesting experiences that way.
7. Do you ever talk to yourself? If so, share an example. Not out loud, but frequently when working out I tell myself to just keep going for a set amount of time or to a landmark ahead. Somehow it works. Even though every single time, I pretty much make myself keep going. Like doing a plank, I'll say 15 more seconds, then I'll do the 15 seconds and say 15 more seconds. Or while running, I'll say, let's just push to the intersection, I'll get to the intersection, and then I'll aim to push through, and then to the next intersection...
8. Share something you did that unexpectedly helped shape your life. Studying abroad in college. I knew it would change my life, but little did I know that more than 5 years later it would change my life again. It lead me to an Italian group in Dallas, which was where I met my husband.
9. Do you follow a strict routine, or are you a free spirit? Are you somewhere in between? I'm pretty much a routine person for my daily life. I find myself sticking to a pretty regular schedule. But on vacation, we hate organized tours and stuff like that, so we much prefer to know about 5 things we want to see somewhere and just do what we want, hopefully integrating those 5 things.
10. Share something about yourself that you hope will inspire others. Hmm... since I've shared it before, my first marathon time was over 5 hours, and less than 10 years later, I qualified for Boston.
Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions! Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Walking to Fitness
For some time now, I've been trying to get my favorite person in accounting at work to go to a 5k and walk it. She's indicated a desire to do it, and last year even signed up for (and planned to do) my favorite race in Dallas, the 5k on St. Pat's weekend. But then at the last minute her husband backed out and she didn't want to go alone, so she didn't show up. I got a sad text from her that morning after the event as I'd left my phone in the car.
But since it's such a fun race, and she wants to get into better shape anyway, and she wants to do the event in theory, this year, I'm trying again to convince her to sign up for and do the 5k.
And this year, I've gone a step further. Last week, I asked her if she'd consider bringing workout clothes to work, and then going down to the gym with me and walking on the treadmill for a little while after work one night (ideally once a week, but I figured we'd start with just once).
I told her not to overthink it, just to bring her stuff. What's the worst that could happen? She hated doing it and wasted 20 minutes of her life? (She has a heart attack? I didn't say that since I wouldn't consider it a real risk, plus I do know CPR.) In reality, she wants to do it, her doctor wants her to do it, she thinks she'd be better about doing it if she had company, her husband and daughter haven't demonstrated that they are reliable walking buddies, and we have a great goal race ahead in 6 weeks.
The very next day she brought her stuff, but it so happened that we both had plans that night. I told her a Tuesday or Wednesday night would be best and we made a plan for this week Wednesday night.
I think she was worried that I'm going to try to make her go too fast or something (she actually said that she watches The Biggest Loser and saw the trainers pushing up the speed on the treadmill), or that I'll be bored or something. I told her I'd be on the treadmill next to her (if they're all full, I'll do weights or something), and that the walking would be a good warm-up for me before I run home. All she has to do is 15-20 minutes, any pace she wants. I love the idea of getting her to run for just the last minute, but I wouldn't want to scare her off. And I really love the idea of directly helping someone else squeeze in a workout. Very excited for her.
So last night was the big first night of walking together after work.
We just did 20 minutes on treadmills right next to each other and talked the whole time. We pushed the speed and incline up a bit over the last couple minutes, and we both broke a sweat, but we were walking (no jogging or running). We stretched afterward and then I ran home. I'm so proud of her for doing it, and we already agreed to walk again next week. I hope she's not too sore today, I haven't seen her yet.
My plan for next week: 5 minutes longer, picking up the pace over the last few minutes again, and less eye contact while chatting so we don't have to hold the rails.
Just so excited about it.
And it paid off for me last night -- second fastest run home ever. I missed a personal record by about 15 seconds, and I know I was stopped at the longest light for at least 15 seconds. Oh well, those are the breaks. I'll break the record for real one day, though I'm not on a mission to do that or anything, most days I just note what the time is, but occasionally it feels good to push hard and see what I can do. But I'm attributing the pace primarily to our walking warm-up.
But since it's such a fun race, and she wants to get into better shape anyway, and she wants to do the event in theory, this year, I'm trying again to convince her to sign up for and do the 5k.
And this year, I've gone a step further. Last week, I asked her if she'd consider bringing workout clothes to work, and then going down to the gym with me and walking on the treadmill for a little while after work one night (ideally once a week, but I figured we'd start with just once).
I told her not to overthink it, just to bring her stuff. What's the worst that could happen? She hated doing it and wasted 20 minutes of her life? (She has a heart attack? I didn't say that since I wouldn't consider it a real risk, plus I do know CPR.) In reality, she wants to do it, her doctor wants her to do it, she thinks she'd be better about doing it if she had company, her husband and daughter haven't demonstrated that they are reliable walking buddies, and we have a great goal race ahead in 6 weeks.
The very next day she brought her stuff, but it so happened that we both had plans that night. I told her a Tuesday or Wednesday night would be best and we made a plan for this week Wednesday night.
I think she was worried that I'm going to try to make her go too fast or something (she actually said that she watches The Biggest Loser and saw the trainers pushing up the speed on the treadmill), or that I'll be bored or something. I told her I'd be on the treadmill next to her (if they're all full, I'll do weights or something), and that the walking would be a good warm-up for me before I run home. All she has to do is 15-20 minutes, any pace she wants. I love the idea of getting her to run for just the last minute, but I wouldn't want to scare her off. And I really love the idea of directly helping someone else squeeze in a workout. Very excited for her.
So last night was the big first night of walking together after work.
We just did 20 minutes on treadmills right next to each other and talked the whole time. We pushed the speed and incline up a bit over the last couple minutes, and we both broke a sweat, but we were walking (no jogging or running). We stretched afterward and then I ran home. I'm so proud of her for doing it, and we already agreed to walk again next week. I hope she's not too sore today, I haven't seen her yet.
My plan for next week: 5 minutes longer, picking up the pace over the last few minutes again, and less eye contact while chatting so we don't have to hold the rails.
Just so excited about it.
And it paid off for me last night -- second fastest run home ever. I missed a personal record by about 15 seconds, and I know I was stopped at the longest light for at least 15 seconds. Oh well, those are the breaks. I'll break the record for real one day, though I'm not on a mission to do that or anything, most days I just note what the time is, but occasionally it feels good to push hard and see what I can do. But I'm attributing the pace primarily to our walking warm-up.
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