Dedicated or crazy...you be the judge!

It was 7:45pm on New Year's Eve and I was all alone in the gym at work, powering up the treadmill to get in the 9k run I had bailed on earlier in the day. Anne and the kids were already at Celine's house eating, drinking and being merry.

As I increased the speed to a 5:15 per km pace, I thought to myself, "What's wrong with this picture?"

However, with my half marathon only two weeks away, I knew this was a crucial week in my training cycle. And as I mentioned in an earlier post, I had to juggle my training plan this week due to some insomnia Tuesday night. So although I was not happy to be running on the last night of 2010, I knew missing a run at this stage of the game could negatively impact my performance on January 15th.

After warming up for 2k, I began the first of five, 1k intervals as follows - 750m with the treadmill at a 6% incline, followed by 250m at a 0% incline, all at a 4:45 per km pace.

The first interval went okay and so did the next two, but as I started the 4th interval, I was having serious thoughts about ending the run early. My heart was pounding and my legs felt like cement pillars.

Somehow I was able to convince myself that the pain was worth it and that if I was going to be here, I might as well complete the entire run. However, as the 7k mark approached, I felt a sense of relief as I could slow the speed down to a very manageable 5:15 per km pace for the last 2k.

After, as I walked from the gym to the change room, I was proud on myself for not bailing on the last two intervals, but a weird feeling washed over me...the place was eerily silent...spooky really...like being in a horror movie and I wasn't the leading character...I was half expecting to run smack into Jason Voorhees around the next corner!

Fortunately, I survived and was able to join the rest of the gang to ring-in 2011 satisfied and guilt-free.

Happy New Year everyone and good luck with all your resolutions and goals!