The AO Owns Me

20 min. w/u (2.5 miles)
Target: 6xmile @6:10 and cut down w/3 min. rest
Actual: 6:08, 6:05, 6:04, 6:04, 6:05
20 min. c/d (2.5 miles)
Total: 11 miles

Well, I wish I could say my first workout back was a rousing success, but it pretty much wasn't. I was glad to be out there and at least get the legs turning over at a decent clip, but it's definitely depressing to see how quickly one can lose fitness. Especially since it takes so long to gain said fitness in the first place.

Since I had a work event all day I had to get started with this workout around 7:15. Temps were in the mid-40s at this point, which is a bit cooler than I'd like for mile repeats, and I definitely felt that during the first few intervals. Also, since my foot has still been bothering me (as I type this I'm icing with a one-two punch of peas and lima beans) Jeff and I agreed I should forego the flats for a while, which means for the first time in months I was going to attempt an up-tempo workout in trainers. I opted for the Ghost, which is pretty lightweight and has a nice springy forefoot, figuring it's the closest thing to the T5s in my repertoire.

So, pretty much from the outset I felt off. For one thing, my breathing wasn't great--though my cold is improving, apparently trying to take such rapid deep breaths wasn't ideal, as I was hacking like a chain smoker throughout the entire workout. Not attractive. Anyway, since my breathing was never under control I felt vaguely panicked the whole time. My legs never really settled into a comfortable pace either, so overall I just felt like I was struggling. I don't know what I expected for my first time back in the saddle, but I was definitely envisioning something better than this. I called the workout at five and wogged home in defeat.

If I can take away something positive from this experience, it's that I'm definitely getting to know various intervals and distances on the AO much better. For example, I realize now that the first few times I did workouts here--namely the first 6xmile and maybe a few others--I definitely misjudged where the mile marker should be. Through trial and error, I've now learned I need to run about ten seconds farther than I did during those initial outings to make it a true mile. It doesn't bother me that I didn't run far enough then, since at the time it was all about effort, but it feels good to know that I'm more precise now (and, consequently, went through the old "mile" marker around 5:50 each time today).

The other highlight of the day was during the Mobile Fit event I attended with Big Peach at the Coca-Cola corporate headquarters. We spent four hours fitting people at their corporate health fair and eating their free catered lunch. The best part was that throughout the entire building they have tons of Coke machines with FREE drinks in them. You just press the button of your drink of choice and in just seconds you can enjoy a tasty, refreshing caffeinated beverage. I was double-fisting Coke Zero and Dasani like it was my job. I may have taken a few roadies too, but that just stays between you and me.