Interval Training

Thank you to everyone for your comments and support throughout my journey.  It means so very much to me and helps me to continue even when I get discouraged!  

My training schedule for now looks like this:

Monday - short run (20 minutes)

Tuesday - medium run (40 minutes)

Wednesday - short run (20 minutes)

Thursday - medium run (40 minutes)

Friday - rest (easy run or cross training possibly)

Saturday - long run (80 minutes)

Sunday - rest (easy run or cross training possibly)

This schedule is not set in stone and can be changed as needed.  

Yesterday was my medium run day and I used my pedometer to track the distance.  I ran around my house because I was not ready to tackle the treadmill again.  The pedometer reading was frustrating to me again.  

1.65 miles on 01-07-14

After my last blog post, my friend Natalie reached out to me and told me a tip that she used to help trick her into running longer on the treadmill.  She did interval training.  I was desperate for any advice to help me use the treadmill so I looked up some interval training for the treadmill.  I found this workout:

 

I liked this workout because it was short - 20 minutes - and perfect to try on my short run days.  I am SLOW.  I am working on it, but still a very slow runner.  The speeds listed in this workout, for now, are not possible for me.  So, I divided them in half and rounded up when I needed.  I also wrote out the entire workout so I would not get confused or figure out what minute and what speed I should be at during the workout.  Here is my hand written modified workout (sorry the picture is blurry):

Today was a short run day and time to try interval training on the treadmill.  I got great recommendations from my friends Deana and Heather on shows to watch while on the treadmill to help, but I decided for this workout I would watch a favorite show of mine - The Office.  I watched one of my favorite episodes it is from season four, episode one and quite appropriate for my workout today.  

Fun Run Episode

I started my interval workout.  The whole time I kept telling myself, "You can do anything for a minute," and since in this workout you switch speeds every minute that got me through each and every minute.  

I did it!  I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes!  It was hard and tough.  I had to cling to the treadmill at times while still moving my feet.  I was pouring sweat and cramping by the end of it (probably because I had not drank enough water before working out), but I did it!  Woo Hoo!  

I also wore my pedometer to see if the distance on my pedometer matched the distance on the treadmill.  It did not.  

Pedometer: 0.79 mile - vs - Treadmill 0.95 mile

Clearly there is a discrepancy.  This makes me feel better.  I know that my pace on the treadmill is slower (20 minutes and less than a mile...SLOW), but when I run outside I seem to be able to run faster. I am not sure why that is.  I also will test that theory out more once this snow melts and temperatures return to positive numbers.  

I am almost sure I will be back to work tomorrow which means setting my alarm for 5:00 a.m. to get my bible study and workout in before work.  On a positive note, being able to get out of the house will mean getting into a routine and eating less.  There has definitely been a lot of boredom eating while being snowed in.  Anyone else have this problem?