Blinking Machines!! >:(

Today's run was hard because my technology kept having issues. Or, rather, I kept having issues with the technology.

I started out just fine. I got on the treadmill, did my warmup walk, and even started to run. The only problem was that after running for only 1 minute, I had to pee. I need to remember to use the bathroom before a run because it complicates things if I have to stop during a run.

I paused the workout, ran to the bathroom, and was back to the treadmill in no time. It took me a few minutes to get my workout to resume, though, because I was trying to be careful to not have the same tech glitch as last time. Once I got the iPod sorted, my treadmill started acting up. I had to pause the workout again, sort out the treadmill, and then start. Just as I got started, my shoelace came untied.

This continued to happen throughout the run, such that I managed to turn my iPod completely OFF, at one point, and the treadmill got turned off TWICE throughout the run. I kept having to pause things and sort out the technology issues. At one point, when the treadmill shut itself off and I was fumbling with my sweaty hands and the buttons, my body rebelled and I ended up in a coughing fit from the sudden shift in oxygen intake.

It was really obnoxious.

REALLY. REALLY. REALLY. OBNOXIOUS.

Despite all of the problems, I still managed to run 3.6 miles today. I ran my fastest mile EVER, and even had Tiger Woods' voice come on my Nike+ to congratulate me (anyone else see the irony in Tiger being the one to congratulate my speed??). I felt stronger and less fatigued than I had on previous runs. Plus, I felt proud of myself for finishing it all.

All in all, it was a pretty good run considering throughout most of it I wanted to throw my treadmill and iPod across the gym.

Take that, stupid machines.



P.S. Just FYI: This is my SECOND attempt at posting for the day. I wrote this post earlier, went to publish it, and it made me sign back in to Blogger. I had completely lost the previous post. Have I mentioned technology doesn't like me today?? Grrr....

Hello, Speedy Hare, I'm a Tortoise

Yesterday - Sunday - was the first time I've run outside in a little over a week (or more). I decided to hit the road again because it was Sunday and I refuse to cause others to work on the Sabbath. So, no gym for me.

It was a pretty day outside, albeit hotter than I normally like when I'm running. I decided to run my regular route backwards (meaning I was running forwards, but I was taking the route the other way around from normal ending point to normal starting point). It went well except for two things:

1. I had to pee. This is not normally a problem, but for some reason I really had to use that bathroom, and I was a quarter through the run. There was NO WAY I was going to make it through the run sans bathroom. So, I had two options:

Option A: I could use the porta potty in a nearby field that had been there for who knows how long, and was last cleaned who knows when.

Option B: I could run back home and use my bathroom.

Obviously, I ran back home. Sorry, folks, porta potties scare me.

2. My Nike+ malfunctioned - AGAIN. Only, this time it was because I had paused it while I ran inside the house so that my potty time wouldn't count against me. Once back outside, I started running again and hit the "Resume" button. It said, "Workout Resuming," and then proceeded to play the requisite episode of "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me," from NPR (one of my favorite things to run to, incidentally). The problem was, the time didn't actually resume even though the music did. Instead, it decided to WAIT for several minutes and then play. I lost more than half a mile of my running because I didn't catch the error for that long. This made me REALLY mad because it means my stats on Nike+ are now not acurate, through no fault of my own. Grrr.

The run itself, though, went well. I pushed myself, enjoyed the weather, and felt really good about a Sunday morning run as part of my day of rest. I'm tempted, at least until the weather gets hot, to make this a regular activity. That may only be for a couple of weeks, though.

The only downside to the run was that I realized just how slow I run. It felt like I was running at a snail's pace, even though I knew I wasn't. This was made worse by the man who passed me a the beginning, and then HALFWAY around the loop, and he was WALKING. I've rarely felt so ashamed.

But, I just kept plodding along on the route despite my personal feelings of embarassment, and I kept reminding myself of the tortoise and the hare. Consistency is the key. After all, slow and steady does win the race, even if that means stopping for occassional potty breaks.