5 Mile Tempo Run

Recently, I’ve been dreading speed work intervals. Tempo runs are awesome but the 400m interval workouts I have on the 10K training plan have been met with absolute dread. Wednesday came, I put my workout clothes on and just couldn’t bring myself to drive to the track as I had planned. So instead, I drank some wine, cooked some sun-dried tomato pesto pasta and read. Impromptu days off are fun every now and then anyway. Yesterday though, I knew I needed to just get it done. The earlier the better so I didn’t have time to talk myself out of it.

What better way to spend 50 minutes of your lunch break than sweating your butt off on your treadmill for 5 miles of soul crushing intervals?

• 1 mile warm up
• 6 x 400m @ 7.0
• 6 x 400m @ 5.8 (recovery)
• 1 mile cool down

I’ve mentioned my treadmill’s electrical issues before but on top of all that, I’m also 99.9% sure it’s not calibrated correctly to the actual speeds. I run on enough hotel gym treadmills to know that 7.0 on my treadmill feels more like 6.0-6.5 on a normal one. If I had to safely guess, I’d say mine is off by at least .5mph. It can be frustrating because I never really know how fast I’m going but at the same time, it makes me push myself a little harder than I normally would. So even though my intervals were only at an 8:34 pace according to the treadmill, I’m pretty confident it was really more like 8:00 pace or less. I don’t pant nearly as hard as I was after each interval at an 8:30 pace outside!

A.n.y.w.a.y…

Working from home has it’s pros and cons. One con would be that when I’m actually at home and not traveling, I really never wear anything but workout clothes. Comfortable? You betcha. Makes me feel like a frumpy mess at times? Also, yes. So, putting on real people clothes today after that run (and a shower) was a huge accomplishment which I celebrated by venturing out into the real world to get a pedicure and run some errands.

Let’s talk about nail salons.

Ever see this thing sitting there in the middle of the room empty, softly whispering your name?

I swear this damn massage chair tempts me every.single.time I’m in there. I’ve probably asked how much it costs for a 10 minute massage at least 5 times only to say “no thanks, not today” when they ask “you want?” even though the voice inside my head is saying “it’s $12 friggin dollars Gina, just give in!”

Seriously, $12. How can I go and buy a Nook with barely 10 minutes of deliberation and yet sit here and ponder a $12 massage? These are the things I will never understand.

Well yesterday, I gave in. Was it great? No. Was it worth $12, probably.

When your husband’s idea of a massage is a quick rub of his palms on your shoulders (he’s neither a cook nor a masseuse) I’ve determined this to be a necessary expenditure with my every 3 week (or so) pedicure. I will fear the chair no more!

Have you ever gotten the chair massage at the nail place?

Do you deliberate over smaller purchases more than big ones sometimes?

Gina Matsoukas

About

Gina Matsoukas is the writer, founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients as much as possible. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.