I'm a bit delayed in writing this post because I've been taking a break from the internet, to the extent possible. It's surprising how much time we whittle away by mindlessly surfing, but that's a topic for another post.
Persistence
The overarching theme for week 6 was persistence, at least on my long run. I arrived at the indoor track only to find out they were closed on Saturday for an indoor marathon (the irony does not escape me).
On the drive home I cataloged all the indoor treadmills I knew of: my employer's gym (closed due to Covid), my former employer's gym (not accessible now that I am a former employee and have been for several years, but included for the sake of completeness), the treadmill at a friend's house (but friend had Covid), the many gyms that I don't have a membership to. There was technically the option of running outside, but at 10 degrees plus windchill it was really, really unappealing.
Then it struck me that my mom has a membership at the Y and could get guest passes! Yes, this was the answer! I called her, and she explained that she would have to spend "points" to get a guest pass, plus she would have to hang out at the gym with me the whole 2+ hours. Understandably she was not interested in sitting at the gym that long.
I got home and Gary suggested I just check if my work gym was open. "But they said they sold all their equipment because of Covid!" I protested. However, I figured I had nothing to lose except more time on my precious Saturday.
I got to the office and shockingly the workout room was open, and all the equipment was there just as it had been in early 2020. The sign in sheet was still out and people had been using the gym this week, so it was indeed open.
Let me pause here to add that I had diligently followed the Friday/Saturday training plan: high carb meal Friday night, got up early and eaten a banana (and no coffee), and left to start running as soon as possible. It was now nearly two hours after I'd gotten up and I was getting hungry, and had not run at all. The training plan was laughing at me.
The Treadmill
I had the workout room all to myself and it was as glorious as it sounds. I started a podcast about beekeeping and began my run. After an hour, the treadmill warned me that I'd run for long enough and began a two-minute countdown. It wouldn't let me override it and continue. So after the treadmill stopped, only 5.25 miles into my run, I had to restart the treadmill.
Now realizing that I only had an hour until the treadmill shut off again, and 5.75 miles to run, I picked up the pace slightly.
The moment when the treadmill reset my mileage to zero was initially crushing. All my progress erased! But I decided to believe the treadmill, and "reset" my goal. Instead of being halfway through an 11-mile run, I decided that I'd just started a 5.75 mile run fresh. Although my legs disagreed with this new reality, it was surprisingly easy for my brain to believe.
Week 6 Plan
Total: 23 miles
Sunday: 3 miles
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: HIIT
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: 3 miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 11 miles
Week 6 Results
Total: 19.52 miles
Sunday: 2.92 miles
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: HIIT
Wednesday: 5.75 miles
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 10.85 miles
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