Sweaty gym

I decided to go to a gym not far from where I live to do my intervals today, and as I walked through the door I almost threw up at the smell of sweat. How different from the gym at the spa, where all of the beautiful people go!
Here, people were working hard, sweating and red faced... and it was absolutely packed full. I just about managed to find a free treadmill! This is more like it, I thought! Hopefully I will have my own treadmill sorted for next week, but if it hasn't arrived by then, then I will definitely come back here!

I began by testing the possibility of having a much better session by taking the warm up much easier and slower. I think I averaged something like a 12mm, and was feeling good ready to start the intervals.

My first interval was done at 8.38mm pace, and apart from the last 2 or 3 minutes where it felt much more difficult, I found it relatively comfortable. I even managed to jog the 5 minute recovery straight afterwards.
The second interval was much much tougher, but I forced myself to do another 10 minutes at 8.38mm pace. I had to really talk myself through the last 5 minutes, telling myself that a race will only become easier for me if I make myself very uncomfortable in training. I even at one point promised myself a full 5 minute walking recovery if I could just get to the end... I did it, and then had the full 5 minute walk, which was very very needed.
The third interval began at a 9mm pace for 1.5 minutes and was quickly reduced to a 9.30mm pace for the remainder of the 10 minutes. I only needed 2 minutes walking after this and jogged the last 3 minutes until it was time to do my 10 minutes cool down.

As I was doing the cool down, I couldn't help but wonder how red my face was, as I really had given it everything. I was sure it would be a beetroot shade!
Once finishing, I popped into the toilets and looked in the mirror as I washed my face... it was a pinkish/red colour... nothing like my usual "look like I'm going to blow up" colour.
I'm sure I've mentioned in my blog before, but when finally passing the bleep test for the fire brigade, and getting to the required level of 9.6, one of the firefighters came up to me afterwards and asked if I had a problem with my blood pressure as my face was unusually crimson. I explained that my face always went that colour and it was nothing! Some of my running friends have also commented on it... going to Woodhall Spa 10K (I shudder just writing those words), despite practically walking the whole thing, my face was in a right state and it took about an hour to subside!

I think intervals are the one session that I have noticed the biggest difference with since using an inhaler. I don't get the horrible crimson glow, I don't get so out of breath that I look like I'm hyperventilating, and I don't finish the session so exhausted that I need to sit down for 5 minutes and not move.

So, I'm very pleased with todays intervals. They are the fastest I have ever done and I look forward to the day when I can do all 3 intervals at the same speed.