JogBlog: Week 7, Day 2

Another sunny, cold morning. The kind of morning where everything outside has a slight sparkle to it, from all the tiny ice crystals. I considered waiting until later in the day to do my run, but after a nice big piece of homemade sourdough toast, I felt like I was ready to get the workout out of the way.

This morning I wanted to start in a different spot on the track than I have been. I hoped this strategy might result in a stronger finish for me since by my estimate I wouldn’t have to hit Big Nasty Hill right at the end of my run.

I also wanted to try using my own playlist of music instead of the podcast. As much as I have enjoyed and appreciated the programs from Robert Ullrey, I thought it would be worth it to see if some of my own carefully chosen tunes might be more motivational during the run. Also, since I no longer get any time reminders from Robert other than a halfway point and a one-minute countdown at the end… well I figured it would be nice to have a list of songs that were all roughly 5 minutes long, and then as I reached the end of each song I’d have an idea of how far along I was and how far I had left to go. It was a great plan! But my song list had a very specific order to it,  so there was a particular song that was meant for the walking segment, and a certain song that I thought would be good to start the running with, a particular one for the cool-down later — you get the idea — and when I got to the park and cued it all up, I discovered that when I had synced the list onto my iPod, the songs had been shuffled around. This simply would not do! So, I reverted back the podcast today. BUT, I plan to make sure the music is all correct for Friday’s workout.

I was a little later that usual getting to the park, and I saw that there were already a few cars in the lot when I arrived. It was about the time of morning when the social walkers are there with their dogs. I figured I would probably see the Friendliest Stranger in the World, with her pink puffy jacket and her big smile. Sure enough, about a minute into the warm-up I passed her.

It’s funny how the littlest things can nag at you. I wasn’t very far along when I decided that my shoes were not tight enough, so I paused to re-tie them. I saw a reference online recently to information on how to properly tie your shoes for running, so I guess I’d better check that article out now.

I hadn’t started running yet and my face was VERY cold. I had on my warm headband as usual and my fleece zipped up all the way to help protect my neck… but my nose and chin felt icy cold. Maybe I should have worn my neck gator? But I didn’t want my sunglasses to fog up. That always happens.

The cue to begin running began uneventfully on a back section of the track that was straight and level. Today I was going to see what it’s like to start out and get settled in to a steady pace BEFORE heading up BNH.

And it was nice. I reached the hill about a quarter mile into the run and plodded upward. Reaching the top, I was breathing heavily as usual, but was able to recover fairly quickly. And now I had a whole 2/3 of the track or so, of what I consider to be pleasant terrain. I thought about deliberately speeding up on some of the easiest parts, but I didn’t go off my pace too far for fear of running out of gas early.

Now I was trying to guess where I’d be when Robert gave me the halfway cue. If I played my cards right, I’d only be heading up BNH two times during my run, instead of three. So far, I seemed to be on the right track.

Then I got the halfway cue, and had a brief flash of “oh man, another 12+ minutes to go.” I tried to stifle that thought immediately.

As I headed toward BNH again, I gave a good look at it ahead of time. It’s very deceptive. Just looking at it straight on, it really doesn’t seem all that formidable. In fact I have debated about putting a photo of it on this blog, but I’m afraid of all the teasing I’d probably get. I don’t think it looks nearly as bad as it feels. All I can say is, I don’t like jogging up that hill.

Then I jogged up the hill.

At the top, I was happy to have BNH behind me for the last time today. But I was really feeling tired just then. I was trying to steady my breathing and stride again, but I started to doubt myself. I still had probably 3/4 of a mile to go before I’d be finished.

Really, can’t I just stop and walk for a minute? Maybe even 30 seconds? How much of a failure will I be if I don’t do the complete 25 minutes this time? I started to think about what I might write on this blog when I got home. Something like “I just didn’t have it in me today.” What would Celeste and Elizabeth think?

I willed myself to keep going. Look, Running Cow, you’re on the best part of the track right now. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and you’ll start to feel better soon. You’ll be going downhill for a bit. Just put it on auto pilot for a while.

I started to feel marginally better and then I was on a downhill slope. At some point I decided that I would finish after all. But I still had a way to go. I passed The Friendliest Stranger in the World again and she said something like “you’re doing it!” or “keep doing it!” or something about “doing it!” and I managed only to grin and let out a pathetic “Heh” as I passed her by. Goodbye Stranger, it’s been nice.

I saw another woman far ahead of me on the track, going in the same direction as me. She was walking. I wondered if I would pass her before finishing. I kind of hoped not. She was pretty far ahead and seemed to be walking at a good clip.

I rounded a curve and there was one more slight uphill grade to get through before things would level out for the remainder of my jog. Then I saw the walking woman, but much closer now. I guess I was going to pass her after all.  Look out lady, here comes… what do you call a stampede when there is only one cow?… I don’t know, but look out lady!

I passed her by right at the 2-mile point in my run. I grinned as big as I could muster, and waited to see if she’d say anything to me. She didn’t.

Now I knew I was getting close. I had passed (for the 2nd time) the point where Robert had said I was halfway, and I knew based on my pace that the last minute countdown should be soon. But wait… what if my second mile pace had been faster? That might ruin my plans to avoid BNH again. Had I been faster? No way, I thought… after how close I had come to quitting a little while before, I felt sure I had slowed down in order to survive.

And then Robert gave me the one minute countdown. And I knew I would make it, but boy… it’s funny how once I know the end is near, it’s like a signal for my body to start breaking down. Even though I wasn’t near BNH just then, and was actually on a pretty level part of the track… even though I knew for sure I was going to finish, I still found myself saying “come ON, surely 60 seconds is up now! If I don’t finish NOW I won’t make it!” So it really is true that a big part of running is mental.

OK! We are done! Phew. I’m guessing I ran about 2.1 miles all together. And I had wanted to give up at about 1.5. That’s the power of pride, baby.

I think it’s funny how Robert says that the run is over and now it’s time to cool down, so I can return to my “brisk walk.”  But I don’t think that I want to walk briskly right now. I’m mostly just glad to be in an upright position. I’d much rather have Robert tell me to stroll for a bit.

I did head up BNH one last time, but this time it was at a nice walking pace, and I didn’t feel like I wanted to puke when I got to the top.

And so concluded today’s workout. I have now run 25 minutes straight THREE TIMES in my life, and I have to do it once more on Friday..

OK, “have to” isn’t really the right way to say it. I want to do it. Because even though I’m a big, lumbering, 6′1″ Amazon woman… this program is showing me that I, too, can go outside and put my feet on the ground and move around a track as well as anyone. Maybe not as quickly, maybe not as gracefully, but I can do it.

See you Friday!

JogBlog: Week 7, Day 1

My dog doesn’t like me.

This morning my husband wanted to jog with me. He’s one of those people who can just decide he’s going to go run 2 miles and then go out and do it, even if he hasn’t done any sort of training for the event. Sigh.

So, we got up and got dressed for the weather – not too bad, about 46º and no particular precipitation or wind to deal with – and headed to the park. This time we took our dog, Brody. I have never tried to jog with Brody before… he likes to go to the park to run off-leash on the back trails, and there are sometimes animal control officers patrolling the paved track where we run, so I just don’t usually bring him when I’m going on the track since I don’t want to deal with his leash while jogging. ANYWAY, we thought we’d give it a try… it was Glenn’s idea, so he was in charge of holding the leash and keeping the dog in check.

It was damp and the sun was just barely up when we got to the park. I cued up the podcast and did a little stretching, and then we started our warmup walk. Brody was off leash while we were walking. That was probably a good idea, to let him burn off some energy right away.

Once again I was hoping to make it at least halfway up Big Nasty Hill (BNH) before the cue came to start the 25-minute run… but of course the run actually started right at the beginning of the incline. Glenn put Brody back on the leash while I started to slowly plod up the hill, and then he ran to catch up with me near the top. Show-off.

Really, starting out on BNH isn’t that bad. It’s later on when I’m already tired that I really don’t like to face that obstacle.

So we crest the hill and start to get into a nice rhythm. I am a little concerned that jogging with someone will make me try to go faster than I should, so I am consciously trying to stay slow and steady from the beginning. We plod along and I’m only half listening to the music today. I know that there aren’t a bunch of cues to listen for today since it’s one long run, although I do kind of wonder if Robert is going to jump in now and then to offer moral support along the way.

I look over at the dog as he trots next to Glenn. Brody is very confused. He keeps looking up at us as though he is waiting for a signal to run. Why does he have to endure all this trotting when he is built for speed? Glenn is keeping him close, trying to get him used to the idea of keeping pace with us instead of running willy-nilly through the woods like he usually does.

As we passed the lot where our car was parked (and where we started our warm up walk), Glenn said “one lap!” and I laughed and said “I wish.” He chuckled. I was only counting laps from where we actually started running.

Around 3/4 mile or so, I realize that I haven’t heard from Robert yet and I’m still wondering if he’s going to pop in at any point to tell me how well I’m doing today. On the (so far) two other days that I have done long runs, I’ve always had a bunch of other cues to listen to in the podcast as Robert told different groups when to walk and when to run… and even though I wasn’t following the cues, I was still listening to them, and was able to count down minutes as well as keep a pretty good estimate of the pace I was running in my head. Not so much today.

We rounded the back corner of the track and started the gradual ascent to BNH. A Siberian Husky appeared with his owner just then, causing Brody an even greater amount of grief over his state of restraint. He pranced next to Glenn just like the dogs do on those AKC shows on TV… not that we’ve ever worked with him as a show dog. He whined a bit, asking if he could be let off to play. I whined a bit, wishing I didn’t have to run up BNH.

As we finally got to the base of BNH, lo and behold, Robert pops in very briefly and says that we are about halfway through our run. Halfway! Well that’s good I guess, but (a) I still have to run up this hill right now, and (b) if this really is halfway, then I know that I am running a bit more slowly than I did on Friday. Not that I have ever been Mrs. Speedy to begin with. It’s a little bit disheartening.

I decide not to care. I’m out here doing it, right?

We get to the top of BNH, and I have that minute or so of fatigue where I want to stop and walk for a bit. But Glenn is there with me, and Brody is already quite upset that we aren’t going very fast, so I just keep going. And of course it gets a little better then, because we are on the nice part of the track now.

We cross the place where the track intersects the main drive and I blurt out “are we proud of me yet?!?” and Glenn agrees that yes, we are all very proud of me. I am not sure if he is even breaking a sweat or breathing heavily. Sigh. A little later he says that I am “in a groove,” and I remind him that this is the easy part of the track… it’s that hill that complicates things!

Brody is just enduring it all right now. He’s so over this whole keeping-pace-with-the-owners thing.

I start to wonder if the second mile is going any faster than the first one. I really have no way to tell. I’m not feeling particularly tired right now… things are going along smoothly. But I think ahead and I start to dread the finish. Because if my pace has remained fairly steady today, then I might be heading up BNH right at the very end of the run.

We start to head toward BNH, and Glenn asks if our second mile pace was faster. I said I don’t know, I’m waiting for Robert to say something. I don’t know if he’s going to just announce the end of the run, or give us some sort of countdown, or what.

We get to the base of BNH, and I know we have to be getting close. Then Robert finally chimes in and says we have one minute left. Argh! I pant the news to Glenn, and then put my head down. Must. Finish. Climbing. Hill.

Glenn, of course, says “one minute!” and trots up the hill with the dog. And he says something encouraging to me, like “go!” But all I’m thinking is, why does this hill have to be so difficult?

Just a little past the crest of the hill, I hear Robert say the run is over. “We’re done!” I yell to Glenn… and I stop running and let out a few groans as I try to catch my breath.

Really, why does the end have to be so hard? It seems to me that I can be doing OK, having a reasonably good day running at a nice pace, steady breathing, etc… but then when it gets to the last minute, or the last hill, or whatever… suddenly I’m barely able to finish. I guess it’s all psychological.

Anyway, we did our cool down, and with a few minutes left on our way to the car, Glenn finally took Brody off the leash to let him run again for a bit. He took off and ran a huge zig zag pattern ahead of us, then kept looking back at us as if to say “see? THIS is how you run.”

So the total running distance today was just slightly over 2 miles. Not as far as I ran on Friday. BUT, I think I felt better, or more in control, for the majority of the run today. So there’s something to be said for that. Perhaps having company made it easier? I’ll have to continue to test that theory.

If Brody can stand it.

JogBlog: Week 6, Day 3

I woke up this morning to below-freezing temperatures. Something like 20º.

Two days ago, Wednesday’s workout had been really rough. It was one of those bad days when you finish your run and you are not sure you want to exercise ever again after that. And I had been thinking about whether I might run on the treadmill today, especially if the weather wasn’t very cooperative. I had a few people suggest that running in the heavy winds on Wednesday was probably a big reason that day was so hard… and with today’s jump up to 25 minutes of straight jogging (Wednesday was two 10-minute jogs), I wanted to give myself every chance to make a strong recovery and finish out the week well. So… I decided to wait until a little later in the day to run, to give the weather a chance to warm up a few degrees. I also thought it would be good to make sure I had eaten a good breakfast and given it a chance to settle, since I usually get up and do my runs before I’ve eaten anything in the morning.

But I did really want to go back outside again, instead of hitting the treadmill just yet. Sort of that whole “get right back on the horse” thing, you know?

I headed to the park around 11:30. The temperature was just below freezing. I wore my compression shirt, regular running tights with a pair of thermal leggings underneath, a t-shirt and my orange zippered fleece jacket. I knew I might get a little warm at the end, but I preferred that over being cold today. I also had on my warm headband and my thin cotton gloves.

I parked strategically today, estimating where I would start and likely finish the running portion of the workout and wanting to avoid too many trips up Big Nasty Hill (BNH).

iPod on. Headphone in. Stretching begins. Hi, Robert Ullrey. Yes it is week 6. Here we go on our brisk warmup walk.

Now, I had hoped that my brisk warmup walk, from where I started on the track, would take me to the top of BNH before I was cued for the run. I knew I might be cutting it close. But I had my reasons to hope for it. Instead, the cue to run came when I was only about 1/3 of the way up the hill. Oh, well. I started my 25-minute run by trekking up my old nemesis, but at least I had fresh legs at that point. Then suddenly I was on my favorite section of the track… and this had been what I wanted. A strong start. My breathing was a little heavy from that first big hill, but I recovered quickly and tried to find my stride. I wasn’t really sure how fast I was running, and I didn’t want to run too fast in case I ran out of steam later… so I was trying to concentrate on keeping my pace steady.

I listened as Robert cued the Day One People to stop their first 5-minute run and do their walk interval. And the mean part of me thought, what a bunch of wimps the Day One People are! Ha ha. Not really, but I did think it was nice that 5 minutes had already passed by. Then I realized where I was on the loop, and how far I had gone in 5 minutes, and was a little surprised… my pace was a little faster than I had expected so far. Hmmmm.

At around the 8 minute mark, just as the Day One People were being told to start their second run interval, I passed a woman on the track that I have seen at the park several times. She walks with a dog and she always has a huge smile on her face and is just one of the friendliest strangers in the world. So I saw her coming and she shouted out “good morning!” and I returned the favor. Then she asked me if I had lost a glove the other day and I said I didn’t think so. Then she said something about finding a glove and wondering if it was mine. She was wearing a pink puffy down jacket and a hat. I got to have my mini-conversation with her and notice all these details even as I passed her and didn’t break stride. And that, my friends, is just how slowly I jog.

As I rounded a turn and headed closer to BNH, I once again realized that my pace was faster than usual. Indeed, Robert cued the Day Two People that their first 10-minute run was over when I was within sight of the 1-mile mark on the track. I think that first mile was under 11 minutes for sure. Crazy!

Now, with a mile of distance behind me, I plodded up BNH slowly and methodically. There was a large patch of ice near the top of the hill that I made sure to avoid (over all, the track was dry though). I hit the nice part of the track again and focused for a few minutes on catching my breath and slowing my pace a bit to recover from the hill. Several yards on, I hear the cue from Robert for the Day Two People to start their second run interval… so we’re 13 minutes in, I am a little more than halfway through!

Then it occurred to me that I still had to stick it out for another 12 minutes or so.

OK, OK, I can do this.

Still on a nice part of the track. Heading downhill a little. Trying to breathe evenly. Enjoying the sunny day. It was cold today, but at least it wasn’t raining and we didn’t have 60 mph winds In fact, the sun was shining right on me just then. I took my gloves off and put them in my pockets. I unzipped the top of my fleece just a little bit.

I came upon the Friendliest Stranger in the World again, she was chatting with another man I’ve seen at the park, who brings his German Shorthair Pointer, “Izzy” there to run. I said hello again and tried to be nonchalant. I wondered whether they thought I was a very slow jogger. No matter.

The cue came for the Day One People to start their second 3-minute walk interval. Now I start to really try to break it down. Day One has 8 minutes left before the cool down. The Day Two People will finish first, then the Day One People, and finally me.

Where will I finish on the track?

I know I’ve got to head up BNH one more time. Will I be able to do it?

A cue comes for Day One’s last 5-minute interval. It’s your last run, so let’s push it, Robert says. Oh, Robert. Let’s not be mean! Some of us are just trying to hang on right now!

I’m doing OK on the back section where the track is straight and level, but then I turn for the gradual climb toward BNH. I’m breathing a little heavily, but not too bad. Trying to time the breathing with my stride.

I’m almost to where BNH is in sight. There will be a brief downhill slope just before the trek up the big hill begins. Robert cues the Day Two People that they have only 2 minutes left on their last run! Wow! And so the Day Three people have about 4 minutes left. Unfair!

BNH still looms in front of me.

I put my head down and plod ahead. I’m leaning forward somewhat, trying to keep whatever momentum I have going. I’m slow. I think I could practically fall up the hill. I get that sick feeling in my stomach again from the fatigue. I dodge the ice patch. I crest the hill.

Cue Day Two to be done with their run. I have 2 minutes left. I’m really not sure I can make it. I let out a few moans as I try to catch my breath and keep moving forward. Two minutes has never been so long. I’m even heading downhill and I just want to stop. Can I stop? Is 23 minutes that much worse than 25 minutes?

And here is where I give a big shout-out to Celeste and Elizabeth, my running buddies from facebook who are at the same point in the program as I am. We have been conversing on the C25K group page and we have cheered each other on and commiserated together on the bad days. I decided I needed to gut this one out for them, so I could tell them that I finished the workout today. Thanks ladies! You help keep me accountable.

Cue Day One to finish and start the cool down. “Day Three, this is your last minute” Robert says. Really? Because I would like to be done several minutes ago.

I’m on an uphill slope. I’m wondering whether Robert has dropped his stopwatch and missed my cue. I’m worried that he will never say it. I’m gasping for air. Say it say it say it!

“Ok Day Three…”

That’s all he got out of his mouth, and I stopped running. I think he also said congratulations on finishing the 25 minutes, but I was already focused on taking my fleece jacket off. I was hot right then and I needed the cool down today.

I was breathing very heavily and was glad there was no one passing me on the track just then to see how worn out I was. I slipped my fleece jacket off and tied it around my waist, just like a nerd. I was walking slowly and steadily, relishing the full cool-down today.

Actual running distance during my 25 minutes was something like 2.2 miles. Total distance from warmup to cool down, plus a little extra walking to get all the way back to the car, was 3 miles.

I passed a man loading wood into a pickup truck. By that time I was recovering pretty well. He said hello. I said “hi” and then thought, you have no idea what I just did. Do you know I ran 25 minutes? Well if you don’t know, maybe you’ll know later, because surely there will be some sort of write-up in the paper about it…

“Local cow runs 25 minutes without stopping.”

Something like that.

JogBlog: Week 6, Day 2

If it’s not one thing, it’s another.

On Monday, I ran in a light snow.

On Tuesday it rained here. All day. Rain like you read about in the papers. All day rain. Rain rain rain. Cold nasty wet dreary rain. So last night I looked out the window and listened to the rain still coming down and thought, do I have to run in the rain on Wednesday morning? Because I really didn’t want to.

But, no! This morning I woke up to no rain. Instead, today is all about wind. We are supposed to get wind gusts as high as 60 mph at some point today. So, as my husband and I like to say when we look out at a blustery day… it was very “blowy” out there. Blowy and sucky.

At least the temperature wasn’t bad. It was around 50º when I headed out. I wore my compression shirt and a technical material shirt over top. Also a lightweight pair of cotton gloves. So I was a little chilly at first because of the wind, but I knew that once I started running I’d be plenty warm.

Cue podcast. Stretch. Wait for Robert to explain the workouts for week 6. Realize that he misspeaks once or twice about how long certain intervals are. No matter, really. The warmup walk begins.

Today there are no work trucks to block my path. Today there is no snow or rain falling. Today there is just wind. Big puffy grey clouds fight with the sun as it gets higher. I’m wearing my sunglasses because when the sun does peek from behind the clouds, it’s pretty bright. Also because maybe I don’t want to be recognized by anyone today. And we all know sunglasses can completely disguise you. In your mind, at least.

So Robert cues me for my first 10-minute interval. I take note of the starting point for that interval so I can estimate my running pace later. The beginning of the run seems not too bad… I’m not as stiff and clunky as usual when starting out (maybe because it’s warmer today?). And then I head straight for Big Nasty Hill (BNH), with all it’s bigness and nastiness.

And I huff and I puff and I put down my head and I plow up the hill. Have I mentioned in the past how much I hate that hill? If the hill had a fan page on Facebook I would definitely not join it. Unfriend!

Just as I’m cresting the hill, Robert indicates that 5 minutes have passed so the Day One People can switch to walking. Ah, the happy times of being a Day One Person. I remember them like they were two days ago.

So right at this point, after I have a few seconds to catch my breath from BNH, and the ground starts to level out some, I start to feel pretty good. I think this is my favorite part of the track. I’ve just conquered the hill, I’m finding my stride, my breathing is going OK. I’m conscious of two police cruisers parked in a nearby lot, clearly positioned so the drivers can chat for a bit while on a break. I’m wondering if they notice the cow running by. And I’m feeling good enough just then that I can totally feign the nonchalance of a dedicated runner. Yes officer, I was just out for my morning run, how are those doughnuts?

My hands were getting pretty warm, so I pulled my gloves off and just held them as I pressed on.

As I continue around the loop I start to guess my pace. I am getting a little farther along than I expected, distance-wise, this time. By the time Robert cues me to take my walk break, I can see that I was pretty close to my original starting point (on the one-mile loop). I am pretty sure my pace was very close to an 11-minute mile on that first run! So, that was nice.

So I walked for three minutes. Since I was pocketless today, I briefly thought I would tuck my gloves in the back of the waistband of my running tights. That didn’t work out very well. My hands weren’t as hot as before, so I just put the gloves back on.

Cue the last run interval… 10 more minutes. And I was incorrect on Monday when I said the Day Three People would finish their run first. It is actually the Day Two People who will complete their last run before the other people do.

Boy, was I glad for that.

As I trudged up BNH on my second round, I was really feeling it. Slow and old and tired and old and arthritic and OLD and ready to be done.

I was looking forward to cresting the hill and then hitting that favorite part of the track again. But the magic wasn’t there this time. I caught my breath a bit, but I was fighting hard to keep going. I wasn’t feeling good. I listened as Robert was giving more hints about how much longer I had to go.

I trudged on, wanting very badly to stop. I was operating on sheer willpower at this point. Stubbornness and pride, not wanting to give up because I was getting so close to the end – and because I hadn’t failed to complete a workout yet. In six weeks I had managed to complete every challenge, but suddenly today I was seriously thinking about cutting it short.

Cue: two minutes to the end of the run. Bless you Robert Ullrey. And also, curse you Robert Ullrey! Why couldn’t it be one minute left?

Huff puff huff puff huff puff.

For the second time, I passed the original marker from where I had started my first run interval. So I ran just over 2 miles in 23 minutes (20 minutes jogging, 3 minutes walking).

Several yards past it, Robert finally says “OK Day Two! You are done…” and so I stopped running.

I felt that horrible fatigue that makes you feel sick to your stomach. I immediately turned so that I could take the shortest distance back to my car for the cool down. And $#@^%$# if I didn’t have to head up a hill to get there.

I got to the car a little before the cool down was officially over. I didn’t care. This was a bad day.

I drove home pondering whether I need to change my strategy for Friday’s run. I’m supposed to go 25 minutes straight. I may have to try switching to the treadmill to give myself a little break.

We’ll see.

JogBlog: Week 6, Day 1

I ask again, what is up with Mondays and poor weather?

This morning there was a light dusting of wet snow on the ground when I woke up. And flakes were coming down. Big flakes, the kind you get when the temperature is only barely freezing or slightly above. I figured I could still run outside today since there was no real accumulation and I really wanted to get out. When I got in the car the temperature was 34º.

Once again the park was empty when I arrived. I parked and did a little stretching while Robert explained the different workouts for each day of Week 6. It sounded to me like Robert would be busy again, giving cues for all the different pace changes for everyone this week. I paused and took care of re-tying my shoes nice and snug so I wouldn’t have to think about it later. Then I was off for the warmup walk.

I watched snowflakes falling as I walked. I brushed flakes off my red fleece pullover. I listened to the slight crunch of the snow under my feet in certain places where the dusting was thick enough to make the path white.

Now, just a few days ago I was facing the end of Week 5 with my first 20-minute run interval. But Week 6 starts out with a return to some shorter intervals, so I figured today should be relatively easy.

My very first (5-minute) interval started smack at the bottom of Big Nasty Hill (BNH). Lovely. I put my head down and trudged forward. You’d think that starting out on a tough part of the track would be good, since I would still have fresh legs and all. But for me, it seems like the beginning of the jogging is harder… it takes me a little time to find my stride and get loosened up. I got to the top of the hill and immediately focused on taking deep breaths and trying to keep my pace slow and steady. The track leveled out for a bit and pretty soon I was feeling better.

As I reached the end of the first run interval, I noticed a few trucks driving around near the maintenance building in the center of the park.  Then I saw one of them coming at me on the track… driving right on the jog path. I was walking just then, and stepped over onto the grass as the vehicle approached. The driver had his window open and said “good morning” as he passed me. I don’t know why, but I thought that was sort of funny… I mean, here I am jogging in the snow on a cold morning, and there are trucks driving along the path where cars are generally not supposed to be, and as we pass each other we exchange pleasantries as if it’s just any other day. Oh, well. I looked back and saw that there were now four different work trucks parked at a spot on the path behind me, apparently to work on some trees and/or power lines.

Hmmm.

Now I was calculating where the rest of my intervals would start and stop. I didn’t want to jog  or walk right past all those trucks later (they were blocking the path anyway). My cue came to run again, this time for 8 minutes. BNH hit me right in the middle of the interval. Heavy sigh. Once again I put my head down and only looked at the pavement in front of my feet as I jogged up. I took note of the fact that there was a set of footprints in the light snow going up the hill… MY footprints from my previous round on the track. And I knew that before the workout was over,  I would be heading up that hill one more time.

I crested the hill, caught my breath again as I kept moving forward, and then thought about how I was going to bypass those work trucks a little further along the trail. I really did not want to (a) be jogging as I passed them by, lest they see my cow-ness, or (b) be walking as I passed them by, lest they see my cow-ness and it last even longer because of the slower pace. Fortunately, there is a convenient alternate route that I can take that allowed me to stay away from the trucks all together… the only downside is, it throws off my mileage calculation for the day since I don’t really know how much of the main path gets bypassed when I take that short cut.

I completed my second walk interval and then came the cue for the last run of the day… another 5 minutes, and another trip up BNH. I huffed and I puffed and I laid down one more set of footprints in the snow going up that hill. It wasn’t too much longer now… at this point, Robert is popping in more frequently as all the different days get closer to wrapping up. The way the timings all work this week, the Day 3 People finish their big run first, then the Day 1 People finish, and finally the Day 2 People. So you see, we all want to be Day 3 People, even though that is theoretically the hardest workout of the week. Because we all want to finish our workout first! Funny how that works. I am telling you, the people at CoolRunnings.com knew what they were doing when they created this plan and set up these intervals. Some of it doesn’t seem to make sense on paper, but it sure does make a lot more sense when you are out doing it.

So I finally got my cue to stop running and do the cool down walk. I once again took the short cut that avoided the work trucks, and headed back toward my car.

The funny thing about today is this: it was a little harder than I thought — and that can be for several different reasons, ranging from the weather to the work trucks to the fact that I spent the weekend being lazy and attending a couple Christmas parties — but at the same time, it was a workout that I fully expected to be able to complete. I knew before today that I could run 5- and 8-minute intervals, so there was no “new” challenge to meet today. But now I am actually looking forward to the Day 2 and Day 3 workouts, almost as though they will be a relief. Strange, huh? Running 25 minutes straight this Friday sounds impossible when I say it out loud, and yet I have managed to complete each challenge thus far, so why should this week be different?

So the end of today’s story is … I did it!

But instead of saying “hooray for me!” I feel more inclined to say “what’s next?”