7MM - week 3.

Well, not as good as week one, but still pretty good for me. I ran the mile in 8:17. It probably didn't help that I ran right after waking up from a nap.

I think in order to get faster, I have to do more interval workouts. I'll get on that, stat.

7MM - week 2 fail.

Well, this week's 7MM was a complete bust. I went to the gym with a pal and we lifted for about half an hour, doing upper body. I guess I didn't anticipate how tiring it was going to be, and also how hard of a time I would have running fast on a treadmill. It turned out to be a short 12 minute interval workout, essentially. I walked for about a quarter of a mile, did my fast section for about .4 miles, then jogged for the rest of the way, slowing down little by little.

Whatever, I got a killer upper body workout so I'll just try again next week, back on the road.

Monday I ended up taking as a rest day because my ankle was feeling a little sore. I'm not going to worry about it because it's only the second rest day I've had since last Sunday. I don't think I'm overdoing it, either, because the mileage is still fairly low.

It was right back on the bandwagon yesterday, though. Boyfriend & I ran 2.57 miles around the neighborhood, it took us about 28 minutes. We sat at around a 10:56 pace, much better than last week's 11:27. It feels good to run with him.

Today is week 2 of 7MM. We'll see how it goes. I think this week may be completed on a treadmill. A pal of mine is bringing me to her gym, I'm thinking about joining. I'll check back in with a recap.

7MM - week one.

Not too bad for my first week. In fact, I'd say it was great (minus the fact that it was a little toasty outside for my liking). Here's the breakdown:

• warm up - .5 mile jog, 5:14, 10:28 min/mile pace
• mile run (which ended up a tad longer due to an accidental err in my planned route) - 1.08 miles, 8:43, 8:04 min/mile pace
• cool down - .5 mile jog, 5:13, 10:28 min/mile pace followed by a quick walk around the block

Dude. 8:04. That is my fastest mile in my life I think. It was hard. Especially with the heat. But I did it. Wee! Now to just shave 1:04 off...

back in the game.

I ran again this evening after work and I feel a million times better about where I'm at. I set out to do a two mile run through the neighborhood that I had mapped out beforehand. Roommate decided to come last minute. Since it was only a two mile run, I decided to pump up the pace a bit. It was tough, but I wouldn't say it was any tougher than the slower run I had done on Friday.

During the run, I completely forgot what my planned route was so I just winged it, hoping that I would come in around two miles. I just set a goal of 23 minutes, just to be on the safe side. Maintaing the pace was hard, but I kept telling myself that it was only two miles. That's it. And I was able to push through and kick my own ass. More proof than running is at least (if not more) as mental as it is physical.

After finishing up and cooling down, I came in to map out the route I had taken. Turned out to be 2.34 miles and I ran it in 22:23. That set me at a 9:34 min/mile average pace. Not too shabby at all! I'm proud of the run, especially because I was super exhausted after work but I still pushed myself out the door with no hesitation.

This week begins my journey towards a seven minute mile, which will be referred to as 7MM from here on out (not to be confused with 7 millimeters). This will be me attempting to consistently improve my one mile time little by little. My goal is to reach seven minutes or less by the end of the year. I feel like that's plenty of time to achieve it. Wednesday is my very first mile, so I'll check back in with a starting point later this week!

After catching up on The Walking Dead tonight and hanging out with the man, I am ready for bed. Goodnight, internet.