TIT 4 TAT

I headed to my favorite treadmill. The one all the way on the end, the old ones that have a fan and a "Track" setting. God I love that fan. I set my Runners World magazine in one cubbie and my water and phone in the other.
My plan initially was to hit the TM at about a 8:15 pace and ride it in. But this old bird needs a warm up.
No sooner than I started, I saw Jeff making his way over to the TM's.
I waved at him and gave him a goofy sideways "Peace" symbol. "Whats Up JEFF?!"
"You are on the TM this morning?"
Trying not to be a smart a$$ I replied, "YUP"
He joined me one the vacant one. He is a bit of a germ-a-phobe. It took him 5 minutes to clean the thing down and even lomger to get situated. I was slowly walking on the TM waiting for him.
"Good grief Jeff, Just get on it already!"

He started out mouthy and full of it, I should have seen it coming. I could hardly run he had me cracking up. Jeff is a quirky character. He is 60 something years old and acts like a big kid. He doesn't take me serious, until he has to take me serious. And he doesn't take himself serious until he is serious. He doesn't compete or compare with me, he is honest with me. The kind of honest that he knows I respect, not the kind of honest that he is pumping sunshine up my butt. He is very wise when it comes to running so I take everything he says with a lot of value.
Jeff is the only safe male that I can have in my inner circle without people questioning my relationship with. Or making accusations.

Jeff was doing a progressive run.
"Hmm, sounds like a good idea, me too." I thought.
I did my first mile at a sub 9min/mi. Conversational pace with my incline at 1%.
Second mile, I hit the button 3 times, to pick it up a notch, still maintaining a conversational pace.
Then my TM quit. "UGH" I cried loudly. I forgot to set the timer and the TM stopped.

I quickly punched in my digits and started it back up. The TM felt good, My body felt good. I got a good night sleep, finally. I am not sure if it was the Melatonin or the big swig of NYQUILL. I was desperate for a full night of sleep.

I watched Jeff  punching the buttons every lap. My pace was at a 8:15. I was keeping it steady. He had 5 laps to go and was sweating so bad he actually looked like he got out of spin class.
He is not shy at looking at my numbers. He peaked over.
"At 4 laps I am going to just have to quit talking."  Jeff said.
"Sounds good, I will too, I will put my music in and GO!" I replied then added "EWWW Jeff, you are sweating.."
"ANITA, THIS IS TENACITY!" Pulling his soaked shirt out, he then pointed at my dry tank top and said "THAT IS PUFFY!" That was his way of saying my shirt was dry and still fluffy.
"OK..OK..I see how this is!" I laughed.
At that point his TM hit his "Time to get SERIOUS" lap. He punched his pace up again. I gave him my best version of the "EVIL EYE" and said, "OH YEAH, TIT FOR TAT!!" And I punched the pace up on my TM and turned the volume WAY up on my IPOD.
I still had over 2 miles to go.
As I looked forward and got serious I started adding up what my pace would end up as if I increased my pace every time he did. "OH CRAP!"
He hit the speed button, and looked at me. I hit the speed button. Neither one of us spoke. We got into such a rhythm that we were both running with the same stride.
And again, TIT FOR TAT. I had a mile and a half and I was at a sub 8 min/mi.
Jeff saw me turning it up and laughed.
"Let's go NITA" This is good for you I convinced myself. Nothing was hurting and I was gonna finish this out come HELL Or HIGH WATER. It was ON!
Bam, I heard the "BEEP". He hit the button again. "AHH!" I cried out loud. He looked at me laughing, "I have one more lap!'
"I have more than a mile still."
He finished and looked at my pace. 7:24. 
I threw him my water bottle and asked him to open it for me. My mouth was dry and my gum was as hard as a rock.
My song came on by S.O.B, as he was unscrewing the cap, I sang really loud "GET ME DRINNK!" He started laughing at my terrible singing.
I took a swig getting water everywhere and handed it back to him. I knew people were looking at us but I didn't care.
"Concentrate" he said. I continued to pick up the pace, focusing again.
Jeff handed me the water bottle on the last half mile. I took a quick guzzle. I laughed as I was dripping with more water on me than I had swallowed. I flicked my wet hands at Jeff, laughing.
The laughing felt good. It helped me drive it in.
My last 400m I kept cranking up the pace finishing strong at a sub 7min/mi.
I could see him watching, this really helped encourage me to finish strong, out of breath and sweating.
I had a good run, but even as strong as my run was and as much as I was sweating I still didn't get the same "BREAK THROUGH SWEAT" Jeff had! Thank God, because that is just NASTY!

I still had some fuel in the tank. We finished up with a cool down lap then did legs.
RUNDOWN:
Distance: 7 miles
Pace: 8:00
Time: 56min

I am still doing my crunches/sit ups almost every night. I did 200 tonight. Who else is on this kick with me. I know Michelle B is doing them now. WTG MICHELLE,

Breakfast:
Vegan Protein smoothie
Lunch:

Chillis, with a my girlfriend Holly, It was a Mexican rice and steak bowl,
Dinner:
Fish Tacos, cilantro slaw with rice and homemade healthy Bluebery muffins.

Remember winter running is great for spring races. What are you training for? How's your diet? And whos doing those crunches with me?

Anita