A four mile somewhat ok not terrible run.

Lately it seems like a successful week if I only miss one run. Last night, it was a struggle to get on the treadmill. After my super awesome outside six miles on saturday, I was burnt. I skipped sundays run. I was unable to make time for a run on tuesday. So I found myself at 8:00 on Thursday, exhausted from a busy day, totally not feeling a run. It would have been much easier to not run, but I had missed two runs in a row, and I knew this was one of those moments, where if I did not get myself up on that treadmill, I would be choosing the path that led inevitably to not running at all. So I laced up.

The run started out a slog, and it ended a slog, but in the middle it was good. At the beginning, my legs felt like lead. I felt awkward on the moving belt of the treadmill, like I was just moving my feet to keep from falling down. I kept repeating to myself something I saw on the internet somewhere "Don't listen to the first mile. It lies."And somehow, by the end of that first mile, my legs felt better, and I settled in to the run. The run didn't feel easy this time, but it was far from hard. I spent a lot of the run doing mental checks on how I was feeling. By the start of the third mile, I was struggling again. I just really ran out of energy. I felt like there was just nothing left in the tank. So I did what any rational runner who just wanted to finish out the four miles would do, I cranked the speed. I didn't keep it cranked long, but it was enough to make my cruising speed feel a little easier, long enough for me to keep the mental game up and finish out that last mile.

All in all, not a bad run. Not a great one, but again, I have to look at the fact that it was four miles. This time last year, I was still hoping to eventual run three miles. This is progress. This is something to be proud of.