Mile repeats? Put on a happy face.

It figures that mile repeats, my most hated speed workout, comes up after my sickness and my not running because of the sickness and my whining calves.

It freaking figures.

But I still got up and put on a happy face before I hopped on the treadmill to embrace the pain.

The happy face didn't last long.  Well, it lasted through the warm-up, where my calves screamed at me at every step.  But I decided to do as much as I could, even if I had to later cut some of the repeats to 1200s or 800s.

So how much was "as much as I could do?"  Well, the workout called for 3 x 1 mile repeats, and here's how they went:

• Repeat #1: Oh look I finished the first two quarters...only 2 more to go....wait--what's that ringing?  Oh, it's nature calling.  BRB.

• Repeat #2: Ran that whole thing and my lungs only felt like they were going to die 95% of the time instead of 100%.

• Repeat #3: OK, last one...I got this...only a 1200 more to go....*ring* *ring* Nature....is that you again?!?

Buh.  This workout is what it is.  Or what it was, I guess, since it was in the past. Specifically, it was the cause of my calves being even more sore than they were yesterday.  And then I wore high heels to work because I'm a moron.  Female cat would agree if she wasn't asleep.  Or even cared.

Hyooman-this way I can't see your stupid blog
pictures.

Ready for learnings?  I know you are:

• Mile repeats.  Buh.
• Nature needs to get a life and start bothering someone else during their runs.  So needy.
• Some workout is better than no workout.  Or at least that's what I tell myself.
• I think my calves may be permanently traumatized. 
• I also think my calves would appreciate me not wearing high heels to work, no matter how super cute they are.
• By the way, I'm still eating my veggies.  And it's still all VEGGIES BUH.

Tomorrow's workout: Probably some of Cathe's PHA.  I think I'll switch back to the Strong & Sweaty series this week.

On the 1st day of 2018 I did two things I really hate: mile repeats and eating veggies.

Welcome to 2018, everyone!

As you can see, I started off my 2018 on the treadmill because, you know, freaking below zero temperatures and wind chills outside.  Well, I really started off the day by complaining about how cold it was all morning, putting on 3 layers of clothing, and then swearing under my breath every time the dogs told me they had to go outside--which was about 3,000 times today.  And then I did a lot of online shopping for winter running gear which eventually turned into finding a marathon to run that I haven't ever run before. And then I finally got on the treadmill, in-between taking the dogs out.

So what workout did my training plan call for?  My most favorite workout ever, and by "favorite" I mean "the one I hate the most:" mile repeats.  Here's how I felt about that:

Mile repeats.  Ain't nobody got time for that.  Except me.

But I got three of those little bad boys done, and then noticed that all my animals were nowhere to be found.  Until I went upstairs, that is.

I'm glad they decided to keep my bed warm for me while I was running downstairs.

Anyway, let's talk about how the eating went today.  You'll be glad to know that a) I ate and b) I ate reasonably well.  Did my oatmeal, homemade chili leftovers, and added nuts for snacks to replace some of my snack bars.  I also managed to keep my twice-a-day vegetable promise, but for some reason I simply cannot get excited about eating them.  I can't even get used to eating them.  As soon as it's lunch or dinner time, at first it's all YAY TIME TO EAT but then it's all GAWD I HAVE TO EAT VEGGIES FIRST.  I don't know what my mental block is.  Unless it's the fact that my body has to get used to so much real food again instead of the processed "health" bars that I have been eating for the last few years...and my mental whining is just a withdrawal symptom.

Who knows.  All I know is that I always feel good after (never during) I eat a bowl of veggies instead of wracked with guilt like I did last night after eating that red velvet cake. So I guess that's my main food resolution for this year - eat food that makes me feel good and leaves me guilt-free afterwards. If that's your food resolution as well, below are some helpful tips on how to to stick to that resolution.  And by "helpful" I mean "only marginally helpful because these are mainly written for my own amusement."

• To ensure that you will eat vegetables, it is helpful if you actually purchase them and keep them in your refrigerator.  If you use Walmart grocery pickup like me, you can even get someone else to pick them out for you in the store and throw them in the back of your car.
• After placing said veggies in your refrigerator, it's best if you use them before they spoil.  
• I find that sauteeing a whole crap-ton of them in a little olive oil and garlic is a nice way to make them more palatable and not feel like you're eating raw nature.
• I am told Pinterest has a lot of ideas for adding some variety to your veggies.  This is a fantastic idea.  However, I haven't verified this yet simply because if I get on Pinterest I will do a search for "humor" and then lose a good 2 hours in there before I even get to any veggie stuff.
• If green and orange things just aren't your style, add other real foods like nuts.  Just make sure they don't come with lots of little chocolate pieces or you're kind of defeating the purpose.
• People keep suggesting kale chips to me.  While these may be guilt-free, I find that they are just as bad as Ny-Quil tastes.  

I know that eating more veggies/real food is sucking for me right now, but I'm hoping that it will develop into a habit over time and I won't notice the suck so much.  I instead hope to notice a 4:05 marathon time in April.

Learnings?  Where are they?  Oh there they are:

• One of these days I'm going to a post of all of the horrible selfies I take before I get one that's usable for this blog.  (Believe it or not there are worse ones than the ones I slap up here)
• I got through those mile repeats by telling myself the lie that the first one is the toughest one.
• The only animals that braved the downstairs while I was on the treadmill were the cats.  I now know who my real athletic supporters are.
• If this "eating veggies" thing doesn't translate into faster marathon times, I will be a tad upset.

Tomorrow's workout: An upper body weight workout of some kind.  Haven't decided which one yet...

Day 3, Week 10: I did mile repeats this morning and now I need a hug.

I do love speed work.  I really, really do.  I've told you all this before.

Except when I see "3 x 1600m" on the training plan.  The dreaded mile repeats.  When I see those on my plan I collapse in front of my treadmill and ask the running gods what I have done to deserve this fate. (Answer = be the idiot that signed up for a marathon)

WHYYYYYYYYY

Notice how the animals are acting like this is perfectly normal.  Because it is.  Not really.

But the important thing here is that I did it.  I got through it.  Because as much as I hate mile repeats, I know they're good for me and I will be thanking myself for doing them in mile 23 of my marathon when I just want to sit down and swear at other runners stepping over me.

How did I get through it, you ask?  Well, I do turn on the TV in front of the treadmill so I don't experience visual hallucinations by staring at a blank wall the entire time.  But for a mentally tough workout like this, my music is a must-have.  Let me now reveal the musical motivation I used this morning on the 'mill:

1. Shape of You (Major Lazer Remix) - Ed Sheeran
2. You Can Cry Tomorrow - Betty Who
3. Thinking About You (feat. Ayah Marar) - Calvin Harris
4. California Love - 2Pac
5. How Will I Know (Junior Vasquez Club Mix)
6. HandClap - Fitz & The Tantrums
7. Adventure of a Lifetime - Coldplay
8. Most Girls - Hailee Steinfeld
9. E.T. - Katy Perry
10. Sounds Good to Me - Nelly
11. Classic - MKTO
12. Temple -  BlasterJaxx
13. 24K Magic - Bruno Mars
14. Cheap Thrills - Sia (feat. Sean Paul)
15. Flawless (Go to the City) - George Michael

As you can see, it's a pretty eclectic (eccentric?) mix.  However, all of these songs get my running mojo going and helps me overcome the mental anguish that is mile repeats for me.

And because I made it through the workout this morning, I think I deserve a hug.  I'm going to go find one now.

Free hugs and learnings below:

• I do need hugs after a mile repeat session.  That and mounds of chocolate.
• Anyone that does mile repeats deserves a hug.  After they towel off first, though.
• Sweaty runner hugs make the world go 'round.  FYI.
• Doesn't everyone wear a visor on the treadmill?
• I find that there is a direct relationship between the vapidity of a song and how much I like to run to it.

Tomorrow's workout: Some peripheral heart action goodness with Cathe

Day 3, Week 3: Mile FREAKING repeats, wireless headphones are awesome, and recovery is important.

You know how I told you before that I HATE tempo runs?  Well, I feel the exact opposite about speed work on the treadmill:

I love it.  LOVE it.  I could do it all day.  Or at least until I collapse.

I think it's because during speed work they throw in rest intervals between running short distances at warp speed, so there's always something to look forward to during the run.  Rest intervals also allow you to delude yourself into thinking you can actually do another repeat and not have your husband come and ask you if he needs to call an ambulance because you're all red-faced and breathing as if one of your lungs just burst in your chest.  Those rest intervals, luckily, cause those crazy breathing noises to subside and then you're all good for another round of short distance running torture.  In any case, I love the challenge speed work brings in short but heavy-breathing red-faced doable bursts.

Except for this morning's workout.  This morning's workout was.....mile repeats.

Yeah.  Like down to ZERO.  But the training schedule said I had to do three of them at an 8 min/mile pace, so who am I to argue?

The key to getting through any tough workout like this is all about reframing it in your mind so it seems achievable.  Some people like to think of mile repeats as just 2 half-mile repeats back to back, or four quarter mile repeats.  Some people focus on the time it takes to complete a repeat, as in "It will only take me 8 minutes to run this mile!  I'll be done in no time flat!"  My strategy is to think this during a mile repeat to help me embrace the suck:

• First 3/4 of the mile: You got this.  It's just a 1200m with one more loop on the end.  You are awesome.  You are a gazelle gliding across the savannah.  You are running nirvana.
• Last 1/4 of the mile: I WILL NEVER MAKE IT I'M GOING BACK TO BED

Repeat each of the above 2 more times with a 400m walk between each where you try not to scamper off the treadmill and back into bed.

I did manage to complete the workout, and rewarded myself with my recovery drink of choice with some side-eye from the large dog.

Remember kids, recovery is important.  But you know what else is important?  Running tunes.

I always run with music; in fact, I can't get through tough speed workouts or tempos without some tunes to motivate me and my feet.  I recently purchased the headphones you see pictured above, a pair of Sony MDR-XB80BS wireless headphones, when the same pictured large dog ate my Sony MDR-XB50BS wireless headphones.  I don't know about you, but I always use dogs eating headphones as an excuse for an upgrade.

So, what's so special about these headphones?  Let me count the ways:

• Excellent sound, and it has some extra bass going on as well.  You can't adjust the bass like some fancier headphones, but who cares?  When I do speed work it helps drown out the sounds of my labored breathing so I can be in denial about how fast I'm actually running.  While these aren't for audiophiles, if you just want nice-sounding music, these are the headphones for you.
• Magical noise canceling properties.  When I'm on an overnight relay and need to sleep upright in the captain's chair of a van, these are my go-to headphones.  I slap these suckers in my ears, turn on my white noise app, and I can sleep through all sorts of loud screaming runners and van doors slamming.
• Easy setup.  If you can't hook up a bluetooth device to your headphone by now....why not???  It's so easy these days.
• No connection weirdness.  I used to have a pair of wireless headphones that would sound like a skipping CD because the connection between the phone and the headset kept getting dropped.  Not with these-it has never happened in the month I've owned them.

My only complaint is that the volume/track changing buttons are hard for me to use while running.  They're located on the back of the right earbud:

Seems like it would be a piece of cake to use those buttons, right?  Not for me.  Every time I try and skip ahead or back tracks, I inevitably yank the right one out of my ear, causing me to do a weird run/hunch to the right side trying to get it back in.  But I think that's more an issue of my uncoordinated and ginormous fingers than a defect in design of the earbud.

So what have we learned from this blog post?

• Mile repeats suck.
• But mile repeats are doable and so good for you.
• Always recover from speed work with nutrition of your choice (even a bad choice)
• Wireless headphones are awesome
• Specifically, MY wireless headphones are awesome.

Tomorrow's workout: A bike ride if it's not foggy.  And maybe some weights.