roxie: 1, treadmill: 0

at long last, i beat that (explative) machine.

so this week is crazy at work, which means i won't get to practice tomorrow. so i left work a little after 7 tonight, with more work to do at home, but i said to myself that if i managed to get in my door before 8 pm, i would change and force myself back out into the cold to my gym, which is (i have to say) ridiculously close. like 2 blocks away close. LONG blocks. but still.

anyway, i like to make these little wagers with myself sometimes. maybe its my way of procrastinating...or letting myself off the hook, but its kind of like gambling without the losing money part. and in this case it was a win-win. i would either miss my deadline and get to relax right away (instant gratification!) or have to battle the treadmill, and afterwards i would, hopefully, feel good. or at least decent.

trains ran semiquickly and i knew it was going to be tight but wouldn't look at my phone until i was actually off the train and at the door.

7:57pm. of course.

i dug up some inside running gear and headed backout. there is a yoga studio on the first floor of my building, and as i was locking my door, a girl leaving turned and said "oh you are my hero going for a run in the cold!" i smiled and took more credit than i deserved. even though i was going to have to face my nemesis, the treadmill, at least i would be warm....

i walked through the doors of my gym for the first time and headed to a treadmill on the end of a row. i was also sporting my new nano, and some new headphones which i was not sure were actually going to stay put in my ears (i have the world's tinyest ears. for real). i got situated. put the nano on shuffle. and stared down my opponent. would i challenge him on a program? pick a certain amount of time? or just go for the quick draw...i mean, start. i chose the latter and started off on the hamster wheel.

since it was cold, i walked for 2 minutes just to lessen the risk of pulling something. then, i debated between 10 and 11 minute miles. given my history with the treadmill, my usual failures, and my little running so far this season, i prudently opted for the 11 minute miles.

the beginning and the end were hard. you've heard me complain about why i hate the treadmill so i'll spare you now, but the forced steady pace gets to me. once i was over that a little bit, i focused on the music and attempted to unwind, trying to think of the run as good quality alone time. of course, alone time is more easily enjoyed (in my mind, esp in this weather) curled up on the couch with a good book, but i tried not to think about that.

before i knew it a mile had passed, and then another, and then, i thought to myself...just three more songs (about 11 minutes, no?). three songs is nothing, right roxie? lucky for me the last of the three was a rockin' one and it took me home. 3 miles on that damn machine. i win!

today's mileage: 3.0
season mileage to date: 25.5