I learned a new trick

I learned a new trick yesterday while running on the dreadmill. I had gone 2.5 miles of 4 since we upped our distances this week, and I was thinking about how much further I had to go. In a way, on the treadmill a mile and a half doesn't seem like as much as it does when I'm at the park, because I don't have the visual laid out before me to show me how far it is. On the other hand, when I'm outside and I can see my goal but don't know the actual distance, sometimes that is an advantage...

Anyway, so I was thinking that 1.5 miles was still a long way to go, and I thought about the time it would take to do that and wondering if I could make it. At the pace I was going, I figured it would be no more than 20 minutes. I thought, "Oh, that's not too bad! I can keep this up for another 20 minutes!" so I did. Even at a 14:00 pace, it only takes 14 minutes to finish that last mile...and that's not really that long, especially when you've already been going for 40 or so. And I was going faster than that, so I finished a bit earlier (nothing like under promising and over delivering to yourself!). I also do things like think, "Well, if I go slow it'll take me an hour and a half to do this 6 miles. That's just like teaching two private lessons. I can handle that!"

So basically, it's just another way to trick myself into keeping going and not despairing at how much further I have to go or letting myself slow down!