Bob ya head.

This morning, I had pretty much the best workout in months. I debated over ditching spin class, ditching the gym altogether, doing something at home, etc. I finally decided that yes, I would ditch spin, but I would still go to the gym and try some new programs on the machines.

Snagged a treadmill and selected an incline interval program. LOOOVE! Maybe I was just in a good mood this morning, but I was totally feelin' running up hills. It was hard. And I loved every minute of it. My favorite moment? Running 6 mph on a 7% incline while this song came up on shuffle:



I'm pretty sure I was smiling through that whole song. I was sweating, breathing hard, legs burning and feeling my heart keep me alive. It was one of those rare moments where I was 100% in tune with my body and completely aware that I was putting forth a damn good effort.

As my 15 minutes came to a close, I knew what had to be next.



I craved that machine, for some sick reason. All but two machines were taken and two old men were quibbling over using the newer model of the two. I knew I had to act fast; I didn't want to run any more and wasn't feeling the elliptical at all. I hopped off the treadmill and snagged the older stair master while Old Man River x 2 continued to yap. The older machine works perfectly fine, it just has a less flashier screen than the others.

I don't remember the exact program I selected, but it whooped my ass. Twenty minutes of various speed intervals. No handles, of course. And yes, I'm bragging because once again, everyone around me was a handle-slave. I kept thinking of bailing out at 10 minutes. Then I got close to 10 and said, "Eh, I'll stop at 15." Well, when I got to 15, I knew 20 was around the corner, so I kept at it. Ended up doing 80+ floors. It was the longest amount of time I've stayed on that machine, so I was feeling pretty bad-ass.

Since I only covered about 1.5 miles during my 15 minute treadmill thing, I ran the last half-mile after my stair-step routine, to even things out. Left a sweaty mess. And felt phenomenal. I know it probably doesn't sound like the most exciting workout, but I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and didn't hate it. I didn't feel like I was struggling or phoning it in. I was working hard and appreciating my own strength. Doing a hard workout is one thing, but being completely engaged and positively reinforced by your own capability is another.