Day 3, Week 4: Some dumb running mantras and how the TC Marathon makes me less smelly.

Welcome to Treadmill Tuesday, where speed work abounds.  I've told you before that I love speed work.  Like weights, it makes me feel completely badass when I finish a speed workout, whether I'm on the treadmill or outside.

But I'm not always overly excited to get up and *do* the workout.

Even the dog is all GAWD SPEED WORK

This morning a 2 x 1200/4 x 800 workout popped up on the training schedule.  I was going to lie to myself and say that I would do it after work until I realized I had a late meeting to attend and there would be no workout after work.  So I found some motivation to do the run in my closet.

Brooks Launch 4 with knit upper.  Kitty approved.

I just got my sweet new pair of Brooks Launch 4s with the knit upper in the mail yesterday, so these kicks got me to kick my butt over to the treadmill and do the workout.  Now, my legs were still pretty tired from the 18 miler on Sunday, but I pushed through the first mile and felt pretty decent, managing to do the workout without too much mental whining.  To get myself through speed work and not devolve into any mental whining, I have a few internal mantras I use:

• You will not die
• This is where the workout begins (usually this one comes out near the last repeat or interval)
• The brain gives up long before the body does
• Push push push (this works for having a baby as well)
• For crying out loud you run entire marathons and you have done two ultras GET THIS 400 DONE YOU WIMP

While I know counselors and other like professionals would urge everyone to have a kinder, gentler inner dialogue instead of that last mantra, I find that the last one is, unfortunately, the most effective for me.  I respond well to my own abuse, I guess.

Speaking of abuse, let me lay another reason down for you to love the Twin Cities marathon, which is now just 4 crazy days away!  And today's reason is the main reason I run any race:

Blingity bling bling bling!

The bling, baby.  2015 bling pictured above.

When you do the Ultra Loony, you get all the t-shirts from the 3 races you do (5K, 10K, Marathon), all the finisher medals, a bonus challenge medal, plus all the finisher t-shirts.  I get more blingity-bling for my medal rack and I get to get rid of three smelly running t-shirts and replace them with fresh ones every year.  Thanks, TC Marathon, for helping me be a less smelly runner.

Why a standing medal rack?  Why not?

And here's your summary of the learnings:

• Saying that I will do my workout later is always a lie.
• Have I mentioned I love my Launch 4s?  Because if I haven't I really, really love them.
• I really do respond best to my own abuse.
• Sometimes my running mantra is PLEASE PLEASE LET THIS BE OVER SOON
• You mean people run races for something other than bling?  Crazy talk.

Tomorrow's workout: A bike ride!  I hope!