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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Run Those Frustrations Away!

Today started out well.  I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to start my day. Work was busy but manageable. 

Things were going well until I got some news at lunch that really ticked me off. Sometimes things that are not in your control can really upset you, but the trick is to just go with the flow and not let it keep you down long.

All this ties in to my working out. Exercise is my stress release. Stress can make you sick or even kill you if it's not dealt with.  The last thing I want to do is take my frustrations out on someone by saying or doing something I  might regret. So that's where the working out comes in.

So when I left work today, I was pretty wound up. I didn't show it on the outside, but I was on the inside. I needed to work out, so I went to my gym to run on the treadmill.

Personally, I don't like the treadmill. I  can get a good workout on the treadmill, but I prefer the outdoors. Running outside no matter how fast I'm gong just feels harder than if I'm going all out on the treadmill.

Even with all that said, I'll still run on the treadmill with no hesitation. Treadmills are MUCH easier on my knees than running outside. And seeing how I have knee problems I don't have much of a choice sometimes! Lol

So anyway, I got to the gym feeling frustrated, upset about something out of my control. I walked in knowing I  was going to push a little harder than normal.

After stretching for 10 minutes I got on the treadmill. I like to gradually build up to my top speed, so I start out by walking at a slow pace and see how my body feels. Sometimes I'll feel a twinge in a knee, Achilles heel, lower back, etc so I like to get a gradual start.

I honestly don't know what's a good pace on a treadmill. I just run at a pace that feels good:

1st 5 minutes: speed 2.0
5-10 minutes: speed 3.0

10-12 minutes: speed 5.0
13-20 minutes: speed 6.0
20-25 minutes speed 6.5

At this point I'm feeling pretty good and relaxed. I have no pain anyplace and I feel like I can go faster. So I put the speed on 7.0.

I ran at 7.0 for another 25 minutes. It was really hot and I was sweating pretty good. I was focusing on my breathing and form. When running outside, I can let my mind wander and literally zone out. But you can't do that on s treadmill! The last thing you want to do is fall on a treadmill! Lol

About 45 minutes into the run I wanted to slow down!  I was at my limits! But I gutted it out and broke that last 5 minutes down literally minute by minute. They had the olympics on the tv so I watched that to take my mind off the pain.

At 50 minutes I start to shut it down. I drop from 7.0 to 5.0, then after a couple minutes I drop it down to 3.0, then 2.0 with about 3 minutes left in the workout.

After my run I did 15 minutes of yoga stretches. 
My total workout time (including the stretching) was about 80 minutes. Overall it was a good workout and I feel much better. I'm now ready to face tomorrow. Today won't dictate how o feel tomorrow because tomorrow's a new day!  

My knees feel good and that's a great sign for me. Tomorrow I'll be back at the gym to hit the weights. Friday i'll take off, and Saturday I'll either have a long run or a long bike ride. We'll see!

Thanks for reading! Till next time, Peace!    

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