Persevere

That would be the word of the day. Persevere.

I did a tempo run on the treadmill this afternoon after work, and since my gym seems to suck with the TVs (they are at an awkward angle to the TVs and it's always SportsCenter or CNN), I found myself bored. Boredom usually leads me to wanting to quit. This time, though, I focused on a word painted on the wall across the gym from where I ran.

Persevere.

It became my mantra. I had to persevere, to push through. And I did!

I know it's not the greatest of pictures, but how dare LA Fitness have adequate lighting in their gym? Maybe exercisers can see their weights, but it means my picture is a bright light right in the middle!

I did a 4 mile tempo run. The breakdown went like this:
Mile 1 - 14:00 minute mile
Mile 2 & 3 - 12 minute mile
Mile 4 - 14 minute mile

The 14 minute miles were pretty easy, but the 2 miles in between were rough. But I'm so proud I finished and finished strong!

I had no idea what to expect in a tempo run. I went to Runner's World last night and did some research. Apparently, it's a "comfortably hard" run. I was supposed to know I was working hard, but not feel like I was racing. And I definitely felt that way. Runner's World also stated that for an easy run, conversation should be easy to maintain. But for a tempo run, conversation should be near impossible, limited to two or three words at a time, between breathing. That, too, was definitely true. :)

While I have been running for about 18 months now, I've always just... laced up my shoes and hit the road. I would run until I needed to walk, then I'd walk, then run again. I never paid much attention to pace, just distance. I am excited to see what slower easy runs, tempo runs, speedwork, and slow long runs can do to help me out!

Came home to cook dinner. Tonight was spaghetti with meat sauce and broccoli.

But the best part came after dinner when I was settling in to watch The River on my DVR. I pulled out dessert - Peachwave frozen yogurt:

I have developed a method for dispensing my favorite frozen yogurt. I line the bottom of the cup with fruit. Tonight, it was bananas, pineapple, and kiwi. Then I add in two flavors of yogurt. Tonight, it was cupcake and peanut butter. And on top of that, I am allowed to put the yummy treats. Tonight, I piled on Snickers pieces, Oreo crumbles, Butterfinger pieces, and baby Reese's cups. I try not to overpile it (sometimes I make up words), but it's hard. I was proud that today's froyo stayed within the confines of the cup.

So I sat curled up on my couch, watching The River. I love spooky, sci fi things, so this is right up my alley. Throw in some froyo and my comfy sweatpants, and I am a happy girl.

Happy Wednesday!

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