Two for Tuesday...

Today's schedule called for me to run 2 miles... and brother, let me tell you, it was a very difficult evening.

This was my first time to head to the gym in the evening. I had been dreading it due to the expected crowds. Everyone is like me, I guess... setting goals to lose weight or get fit or, simply, to just feel better.

Well, as I predicted, almost everyone in my little town was at the LA Fitness tonight! I was fortunate to find an open treadmill, so I was off to the "races."

After walking a half mile, I bumped up the speed and was ready to knock off the 2 miles. Heck, I ran 3 on Sunday... so this wouldn't be a big deal, right??? WRONG!!!

Half a mile into it, I realized I was really struggling. My legs were aching and my calves were burning. A quarter of a mile later, I had to stop and stretch. The good thing about treadmills is they have a "pause" button that allows you to take a 45 second break.

I then started walking a bit and then decided to go for more running. Sure as anything... 3/4 of a mile I was dying again. This was getting ridiculous! I walked another half mile and then towards the end I was able to log another half mile.

Disappointed? Absolutely. Frustrated? You bet. Giving up? No freakin' way!!!

Experience has shown me that I will face bad days like this. We all do, right, in whatever we're experiencing and striving for in life. And when you physically train for something, "there will be days like this" where we'll face adversities.

The key, though, is how does one respond afterward? For me, I need to figure out what caused the "bad day." Maybe I didn't hydrate enough today? Maybe I didn't stretch enough? Or maybe I need to eat an energy bar 30 minutes prior to going to the gym? Of course as you probably know, it's "all of the above."

I don't work out tomorrow, but I'll be back in the gym on Thursday shooting for 3. I'll report back and let you know if there was any improvement... and better planning!

Oh, one more thing: Today was my "weigh in" and I have lost 2 lbs. in the past week. So, another reason for "Two for Tuesday."