So today I took the shackles* off and ran on the indoor track again. It felt pretty good, though I feel like I may be coming down with some sort of sickness in my chest. I did a mile warmup, then decided to do some semi-timed mile runs. Two of them to be exact. They were only semi-timed because I wasn’t wearing a watch and the clock in the gym is a little off (plus the fact that I can’t tell time on an analog watch face ;-). Either way, I think the times were relatively accurate. The first mile was quick, done in 7:15, and the second was a bit tiring, up to 8:05. I feel good now though, and definitely not too tired to get some work done.

Now I want to set some goals for myself. I’ve been so wishy-washy with the idea of doing a triathalon…and I still haven’t found one that I really really want to do, so I’ll do a short-term goal just for the moment. I’d like to run a mile in 6:00 flat. That’s the goal. Perhaps I can go even faster. I think my PR (Personal Record) for the mile was senior year in high school, I believe the time was 4:59. I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to get back to that time…but for now I’ll just try to be a 6er, and then a sub 6er. Wish me luck!

*Shackles refers to the constraints that a treadmill is bound to have. On a treadmill I’m not actually running but being pulled by a machine at an ever so constant pace. When I run on a track, it is much easier to go at whatever pace I feel like going, sometimes faster than would be possible on a treadmill.