5/30 Fart-whats??

Today is a mandatory Rest Day, so I thought I'd share with you my crazy workouts from yesterday...

I like to get my exercise in before work if I can, for a couple different reasons:

1. It's not looming over my head for the rest of the day.
2. A good run, followed by a couple cups of coffee, really wakes me up.
3. I get some solo time so I can think about what I need and want to get done during the day, instead of being thrown head first into the thick of it at work.

According to my training schedule, Thursday I was supposed to do "5 mile fartlek (2 hard x 2 easy).

I'd be lying if I said I didn't giggle and then get grossed out by the term "fartlek" (fart-lick). Basically, "farlek" is just a really awkward way of saying "speed work." I hope the terms isn't taken from someone's last name, and that it was actually invented by a 12 year old boy...

Anyway, I know myself pretty well. I know that I'm not an experienced runner, and I know that I loathe sprinting. I can run for long periods of time at a constant and comfortable pace, but I chose to be a defender in soccer for a reason: I'm terrible at running fast.

I also know that what I hate more than running fast is not upholding my end of a deal. I committed to training for and running a marathon, and so I set out on Thursday morning to do all the fartleking that was asked of me. I decided to run on a treadmill so I'd be able to force myself to actually run fast.

And you know what? It actually wasn't awful. My easy pace was a 10:00 minute mile, and when I was supposed to go "hard" I bumped it up to an 8:30 mile. I was really feeling it by the end and had to stabilize myself on the treadmill a couple times, but I never stopped and I kept alternating my pace every 2 minutes. The time flew by, and I finished my 5 miles in a record 46 minutes and 11 seconds.

And then I did soemthing really stupid.

I've started taking pilates once a week, and I usually do an hour long class on Tuesdays. Due to some schedule conflicts, I moved it to Thursday evening. An hour long class after a 5 mile run isn't a bad idea, but my instructor convinced me to stay for an extra 30 minutes. By the time I got home, all I wanted was some food, a hot shower and my bed.

So, as I hobbled around this morning getting ready, I reminded myself that it's probably best to keep pilates to Tuesday, my cross-training day, and keep my running days void of all crazy strength training sessions. As much as I want the long and lean muscles that pilates provides, I want to be able to get up and out of my chair without groaning even more...