What My 5 Mile Run Felt Like.

How does it feel to run 5 miles on a treadmill? I'll share my running commentary from this morning: 

Speed 6.1 mph. 
0.00 - Okay, let's do this. Tunes on, attitude in place. Go! 
0.11 - Brrr. It's cold in this gym. 
0.26 - Ugh. Are my legs already stiff? 
0.38 - (looking out the gym window) Ooh, people on the bus! 
0.50 - Ten percent done. Go, Johnny, Go! 
0.96 - Sweet. Almost one mile down. 
0.97 - Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run.... 
1.00 - Woo hoo. 
1.25 - Ugh. I hate this song. I need to remove it from this playlist. Let's see if I can skip it without falling off the treadmill. 
1.26 - Anastacia's "Sick and Tired." Yeah, baby. (singing) "Ooh, sick and tired of always feeling sick and tired....." 
1.37 - If this was a 5k, I'd be nearly halfway through. 
1.43 - (singing) "Walk, walk, fashion baby, work it, make that bitch crazy" 
1.50 - Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run... 
1.55 - 5k Halfway... ooh, that rhymes, 5k Halfway, 5k Halfway 
1.56 - Ok, that's a stupid rhyme. Quit it. 
1.57 - Hello, Running Zone. I feel it. I'm at the right pace, feeling strong, all systems go. This is the sweet spot. 
1.89 - Ooh, almost two miles already, 
1.97 - Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run... 
2.02 - Dang it. I missed the two mile mark. Meh, it's all good. 
2.25 - Still in the groove. I like this part. 
2.50 - Halfway done today, still feeling strong. 
2.97 - La, la, la, I just can't get you out of my head, la, la, la 
3.00 - Another mile bites the dust. Another miles bites the dust. 

Speed change. Down to 6.0 mph. 

3.10 - Yeah, that's a 5k. Easy, peasy. 
3.25 - Stupid calf. Stop clenching up on me. Oh, am I even breathing? Deep breath in, deep breath out. Make the oxygen go all the way to the calf. Is that how it even works? I can see Coach Nancy rolling her eyes and laughing at me as I explain my breathing plan. It feels like it's working. That's a good thing, right? Ooh, another bus. Hi, people on the bus! 
3.45 - Almost to three and a half miles, which means just a mile and a half to go. I can smoke that bad boy, no problem. 
3.53 - Oh, hello, cute guy I've never seen before. And of course, you're going to run on the treadmill next to me. And at this stupid angle, you can watch me and see my dashboard but I can only see your reflection in the mirror. 
3.55 - Yeah, cute guy. I see you looking. Yep, I'm still cruising along strong and feeling good. 
3.68 - Why did I put slow songs on this running mix? Really, Last Dance by Donna Summer. Yikes. How gay is this iPhone? 
3.93 - Bronski Beat and Cher? Gayest shuffle mix ever. I need to fix this. 
4.00 - Eighty percent through this run and I'm okay. Just keep going, John. Just keep going. 
4.13 - I Love The Nightlife by Alicia Bridges? Really? I love this song. I should totally change the lyrics and turn it into a running song. Like, instead of "I love the nightlife," I could sing, "I love my new life, got to cardioooooo, on the treadmill nowwwwww-wow-wow... oh, I love my new life, 'cuz I look good, in my gym clothes nowwwwww-wow-wow..." 
4.15 - I worry me. 
4.25 - Okay, I'm still kicking it. I'll crank up the speed my last half mile. 

Speed 6.5 mph. 
4.50 - Here we go. Go, man, go. 

Speed 6.7 mph. 
4.61 - Oh, man, flippin' half mile is long. Run, baby, run. 

Speed 6.9 mph. 
4.73 - Oh, this song rocks. (singing) One day in your life, will remind you, something something leave it all behind.... 

Speed 7.1 mph. 
4.85 - I'm doing it, doing it, doing it, doing it, run, run, run, run, run... 

Speed 8.5 mph. 
4.90 - Last bit. Sprint, baby, sprint! 

That's it. Me and my five mile run. There was more rambling and self-coaching along the way, but this is the best recap I can provide. Sometimes I felt slow, other times I felt fast, but I always felt I could do it. And that makes the difference, folks.