Days like this make the bad ones worth it

This morning, when I rolled out of bed at my customary weekend time of 10:30, my first thought was: "I don't want to go to the gym."

My second thought was: "I really don't want to go to the gym."

So I accepted that it was still early and I had all day to get myself out of my funk. I got dressed, loitered on the internet, and eventually found some lunch. After I'd eaten, I was in a better position to evaluate my most recent gym-related thought: "I still don't want to go to the gym, but I will anyway."

Because I never regret it when I go, and I always regret it when I don't.

There are few constants in life, but this is one of them. 100%.

I had decided earlier this week that I'd put in a solid 5k over the weekend. I took it easy yesterday, as I'd only taken one day off all week and really needed a breather, and put in 20min on the elliptical. No intervals, just a leisurely pace while I watched tv.

That meant today was 5k day.

On the way to the gym, I plotted and planned. I would like to break 40min on my 5k, but I'm paying more attention to my mile splits, and that extra .1 mile always gets left out. So. I decided that my best shot for reaching new goals would be to aim for three miles in 39 minutes.

I figured that, with me consistently running 12-minute miles (and coming close to it, even on bad days), running three miles at 13 minutes per would be possible.

So I set my running interval to 5.6mph (my preferred "easy" jog) and my walking to 3.3mph. The goal of the day was to run longer intervals, if I had more in the tank, rather than wasting energy on the tiny gains of faster speed. It was hard to resist turning up the speed, feeling like I was somehow slacking, but I knew at the back of my mind that using it all up on a faster speed would kill me in the last mile.

And wouldn't you know, I was right.

I'm not usually right when it comes to running. I usually hit walls and make mistakes and have to accept that, maybe next time, it'll go according to plan.

But it worked. My first mile was 12:10, two in 25:00, three in 38:35. That's 12:10, 12:50, and 13:35 for each mile. Not bad pacing, for a rookie.

I don't remember my 5k time, because I was trying so hard to remember all the other numbers. I should probably bring a notepad to jot down my times. I'd have a lot less anxiety. But RunKeeper tells me I finished my 50 minutes on the treadmill, including cool-down, at 3.68 miles. My longest continuous treadmill workout yet.

Adding my warm-up of .37mi, and I had my first four-mile session.

That puts this month at 30mi logged as "running" on RunKeeper. A new milestone, surpassing my previous monthly best by nearly ten miles. (I mark my 7-10min warm-up as "walking" and the rest as "running". It's a bit shady, I'll admit, since I do intervals, and I often leave my walking cool-down logged as "running", but it's the best system I have.)

Oh, and that 25:00 two-mile time is a new personal best. Shaved five seconds off my last two-mile record.

My goal for my next 5k on the treadmill will be to maintain the speeds I chose this time and try to save more energy for later in the run. I will need to deliberately not run my first mile faster, because that just hurts me later. If I can keep my first mile where it is, maybe a little slower, and take another 20-30sec off my second mile, I'll be thrilled.

Since today seems to be the day for bests, I'll also put this here:

204. That's my current weight.

It's been my goal all along to break 200lbs by my six-month mark at the gym. That mark is April 13. It's within reach.

This week: double-down on the diet. It's gotten careless with respect to protein intake, and I intend to change that. This week is no-choices week. If I want to meet my goal and see one-derland for the first time in a decade, I need to buckle down. And I will.

I've got this.