Happy Friday y’all! (What, we say y’all in Philly. At least I do). Who’s ready for the weekend?

Yesterday I had three easy miles on my schedule. Going into this run, I had fairly low expectations. My calves were still tight from Wednesday’s speed session and I was starting to feel some pain/discomfort in my shins. Realistically, I could have bailed on this run and been no worse off for it, but I figured I would give it a shot.

Even though it was an easy day, I thought it might be a good idea to do some hill work, just to keep from being bored. I was on the treadmill for about 1/4 mile when it was clear that this wasn’t happening. My legs felt terrible and I was struggling to keep up with the 9:40 (6.2 speed) pace I had set. Not wanting to completely give up yet, I reset the treadmill for 30 minutes will the goal of just moving for that length of time. It didn’t matter to me whether I ran or walked, I just wanted 30 minutes to myself to start the day. With the exception of a short walk break at the one mile mark, I was able to run the whole time. It wasn’t particularly fast (although I did pick up the pace a little towards the 2-2.5 mile mark), but it was clearly what I had in me (and needed).

Honestly, I’m really not that disappointed with this run. Sure, it stinks to have two so-so runs in a row, but that’s life. I probably benefitted more from this run mentally than I did physically. (Also, I clearly need a rest day. No work outs for me today.) One of the reasons I like working out in the morning is that I get to be completely selfish and start the day with some me time. It’s like this

CJ: You can have a normal life. You’d be amazed at how normal I can be, See, it’s all about budgeting your time. This time, this hour – this is my time. 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. I can work out, as you see. I can think about personal matters. I can… meet an interesting man.

~The West Wing Episode 1.1 “Pilot”

(I should point out that I’ve yet to meet an interesting man at the gym at 5:00 AM. Not saying they don’t exist, I just haven’t met one yet.)

There’s no doubt in my mind that yesterday was a better day for me because of those 30 minutes on the treadmill, and it has nothing to do with calories burned, miles logged, or drops of sweat. And it was totally worth wearing compression sleeves to work yesterday.

Yeah, so I’m clearly overdue for a pedicure. Runners are sexy, guys.

Now it’s your turn! Do you workout for the mental benefits as well as the physical benefits? Tell me about it!

Tagged: Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, Easy, Morning Workouts, running, Treadmill