Butt kickin’

I got a butt kickin’ today…

and, technically, yesterday too.

I bailed on joining the Team yesterday at track.  I just wasn’t up for the social atmosphere, so I emailed the head coach to get the specifics on the workout.  It was to be a 10 -15 minute warm-up, followed by a 5K time trial. 

YaYa and I made our way to the track to get the job done.  I ran 1.3 miles at a nice brisk pace.  It felt good and I wanted to be sure that I was adequately warmed up to the task at hand.  Then, I began my time trial.

I probably felt too much was at stake for as I rounded the corner of my first lap I was seriously out of breath.  I was going too fast.  I tried to slow down a bit and continued on.  Lap 2 was about 3 seconds slower, and still I was feeling like I would die before I finished the workout.  I tried once again to slow it down.  And so it continued this way, each lap getting slower but never feeling like I’d found my pace…until I completed my 5 laps.  Then, I stopped.

There were other factors at play, such as needing a bio-break and burping up my dinner, but primarily it was my mind that stopped me.  It did not believe that I had the "special ingredient" needed to get the job done. 

Today, I hit the track with a different set of hurdles.  I was low on energy due to not eating lunch.  To top it off, the air was filled with smoke from the wildfires in the area.  Different from yesterday, my mind was behind me.  It knew that I would finish the time trial and get that number (time) for the coaches.  I just wasn’t so sure that I could supply the number that I wanted to report.

I completed a mile warm-up, did the dynamic stretches that I would have done had I gone to the TNT track workout.  Then, after the football team exited the area, I began again.

It didn’t feel good but I knew that my pace was more in the ball park.  Ms. Garminia stayed with me every step of the way and tried to encourage me by displaying my lap pace at all times.  The first mile was right around 8 minutes/mile (unlike the 7 min/mile pace of yesterday).  The 2nd mile averaged around 8:38 and the final mile 8:35.  The problem was that when all of the times were added up, my total time was 26:03. 

Although the pace which Ms. Garminia was reporting was off a bit, I honestly didn’t have anything more to give this workout.  I feel so far away from the level of fitness that I had this time last year. 

I have a feeling that I am due plenty more butt kickin’ on the road to Nike and beyond.  It’s a little humiliating but I’m done quitting.  If I stick with it, eventually it will be *me* that does the butt kicking!