2016.013: Workout Wednesday

Well, hi!

I was |thisclose| to ending my streak today, but I’m not going to do that because I know that writing is what I am supposed to be doing right now. I feel like I am being called to write. It is something that the Lord has really placed on my heart.

Writing is bringing me a sense of fulfillment and purpose that I can’t quite describe. Every day that I post something, no matter how trivial or insignificant it may seem at the time, is a chance that someone out there could read something that speaks to them and makes them come back for more. Then maybe, just maybe, they will read something that truly impacts their life.

Without further ado, let me tell you about my Wednesday! It was #workoutwednesday. After all, this is a running blog and at least some of the people that come here want to hear about training and running … so today, that’s what we will cover.

My schedule called for 3 X 2 mile lactate threshold repeats at 6:15 to 6:25 pace. If you read my post Sunday, you know that I just ran a 10K at 6:09 average pace. The idea of 6 more miles at pretty close to that same pace seemed quite rich, but I figured I would give it a whirl. If you have been following along for a little while, you probably know that I typically do my workouts on the treadmill.

Not this morning! Daniel decided that he wanted to do the workout with me, which I was so grateful for. It’s definitely more challenging to get outside and do the workout on the roads, dealing with darkness, weather, rolling hills, etc., but we don’t race on the treadmill so occasionally it is good for me to conquer these obstacles. Actually, it would be best if I could do that the majority of the time and save the treadmill for the occasional workout, but that’s not where I am right now. Baby steps.

We did and 2 mile warm up and then started the workout. Daniel’s splits were a little bit different than mine, but they were pretty close. When we do workouts together we have a pretty good balance of competition and encouragement. The first two miles were very dark and so I tried to run by feel, instead of constantly stalking my watch to check the pace. The result was an average pace of 6:36. Not exactly where I was supposed to be, but definitely respectable.

We got a little bit more warmed up after the first repeat and averaged 6:21 for the second two miles. I was pretty spent at this point, but knew that I needed to at least attempt the last repeat, which I ended up averaging 6:31 on. Whew. That workout was not easy! I am so glad that I got out there and did it though. My legs were still a little fatigued from the 10K, so it makes sense that I wouldn’t quite be able to hit the paces that I was supposed to. Every workout will not be perfect, but every time you get out there and put in the work, you will reap the benefits.

I’ve been dealing with a stubborn case of plantar fasciitis in my right foot and a tender spot on top of my left foot, so I made sure to ice my feetsies when I got home. We even upgraded from the bag of peas to actual ice packs! Moving on up.

When I got to work today, the office was decorated for Mardi Gras. We are so festive lately! I’m not really big on Mardi Gras personally, but it’s pretty big in our area. I thought this picture was so cute!

At our staff meeting this morning, we got Starbucks gifts cards! Such a fun surprise. Last week at our meeting we pretty much dissected the Starbucks pricing model and so that was the story behind the gift cards. Poor Starbucks, if they only knew the things we said about them. I had to include my Coffee Loft cup in the picture, just so we are clear where my true allegiances lie. I also had to include my space heater in the picture, just so you know what keeps me warm and toasty all day.

After work I headed over to Rebecca’s for a few more miles of our #runlovechallenge. We got in 6 easy miles this evening and are now 65 miles into our goal of 214 by 2/14.

I came home, ate dinner and Daniel and I finally finished the last episode of White Collar. I was a mess after that. I wasn’t happy with the ending at all. I was so upset because the main character made a purposeful decision to go off to live a life apart from all of the people that he really cares about and that care about him in return. That really hit me in the feels. It made me thankful to be spending life with the folks that I love though, so I guess that was something beneficial that came from it.

My mom texted me this picture of Debs today …

I have never met a cat that likes to ride on the boat and walk on the beach. Debs is definitely one of a kind. I don’t think I’ve told y’all much about Miss Debits (Debs for short). She was my cat originally. I got her my first year out of school (aka my first tax season). She was “on sale.” The lady explained to me that it was because the economy was so bad. Seemed pretty legit to me, so I got me a discount kitty.

Turns out, she had a major case of ring worm, which in turn meant that I came down with a serious case of ring worm. I had to wear band aids all over my face to work during my first tax season. Yeah, fun times. To get rid of the ring worm, Debs had to be shaved and then every square inch of the house had to be disinfected every day. I simply didn’t have the time to do this, as I was working close to 70 hours a week. My parents graciously adopted Debs from me and now they are inseparable. I’m pretty sure I am the second favorite “child” at this point.

Any other only children out there get overtaken by your parents’ pets after you left home?

That’s all I’ve got for today! Good night!