Just Call Me Wheels

I had an amazing run this morning! Remember that super hilly route I tried a few weeks ago? I woke up this morning with an itch to run it. I had been thinking last night that it might be beneficial to do some running HIIT, but I didn't want to do it on the treadmill because it beeps something awful whenever I change the pace. I could only imagine that BEEP-BEEPing faster or slower every minute would wake Pete up. So I went to bed thinking, well, I'll just run outside. When I woke up, I had it all figured out, "Run a hilly course and just push it up each hill!" It might not work out to the exact intervals I want, but it would get my heart rate elevated for short burst at a time.

So off I set on my run and in no time, the MapMyRun app was announcing my first mile. Pace: 9:13 min/mile. Wha???

That's so fast, for me. That's freaking awesome, for me.

Of course, most of that first mile was before the hills started, but I had just climbed up that first hill when my mile was announced. Once the hills started in earnest, my pace took a big hit, but I still managed to pull off three miles with a pace of 10:20 min/mile. That's like my fast first mile pace on a normal day. At the cabin (plenty of hills and TONS of humidity), my pace hovered just above 12:00 min/mile.

AND I realized on my run that I forgot to write about my accomplishment last Tuesday: I ran those four mile! Whoo! The full four miles, no walking, and it took me 47:57 min. That's actually not that much faster than when I failed to run the same route that Sunday. Running and walking it put me at like 48:something. But my focus was distance and endurance, not pace, and I'm still proud of the accomplishment. I think I'm going to have to work that four-mile route into my weekly workouts.

I'm also still trying to work strength training into the mix, but without a home weights set or gym membership, it's tough. I'm on Level 2 of the Shred, which is great for shoulders, abs, and legs, but my triceps feel neglected. After I finished the Shred on Monday, I did 50 stair push-ups (I know, I know, weak, but that's all I can muster at this point). That actually got my arms nice and shaky, so I might keep it up.

Oh, and my bike still isn't fixed. It hits 6/18 gears. I need Pete to take a look at it to determine if a bike shop is absolutely necessary, but there's so much around the house he'd rather work on. Which brings me to some fun news: Pete and I decided last night that we're redoing our bathroom! SO excited! We've actually put a lot of work into it: Painted walls, new toilet, new faucet, new light fixture, new towels, shower curtain, rug and accessories, new shelves and hooks, etc. BUT, despite our best efforts, it's still been referred to as, ah, "ugly as sin."

SO we're going to use the four free hours given to us as a wedding present by the contractor who is friends with Pete's family. He's a slow worker, so we'll burn right through those four hours, I'm sure, but he does good, careful work--perfect for tiling our floor and walls. We're going to pick out tile (stone) this Saturday. We'll also be talking to our friend who has contacts at a cabinet shop so we can get a new (full-height) vanity. And Pete's researching whirlpools. YES!

So be patient, peeps! Soon, very soon, you'll be able to read about something other than WW and running!

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