Having a treadmill in the
house means there’s a certain obligation to get on there and make that thing
move. But I’ve been hitting the roads in my neighborhood here and there as a
way to keep things interesting. In the past I felt like I was running on the
same roads all the time and it got old, so I think a little of both can keep
things fresh.
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| Today's readout from my good ol' Garmin 220. |
Running on familiar ground gives me time to realize
my speed and my conditioning are not what they used to be. Road running is
tougher than treadmill running is. I’ve huffed and puffed more than I’m used
to, but I’ve completed the runs without stopping. My heart rate even peaked at
180 going up the biggest hill in my subdivision today.
The science is that for every pound you add on you can
also add roughly two seconds to your mile pace. It checks out. I’m 15 pounds
heavier than I was, and my mile times are closer to 9:00 these days. It’s hard
to deal with for someone who could put 8:15 miles on the board pretty easily. The
big thing is that I’m letting myself get back out there and keeping it simple
in order to keep the rest of my life in balance. Pace isn’t important right
now, running is.
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| I still wear a chest strap when I go out. |
I also had one of my hardest treadmill runs late last
week—I set up a 3.25-mile route but raised the incline (manually) to 1.5% for .25 of a
mile. I did that three times, and the last time I raised it to 2.0%. The rest
of the time I ran at 1% and I also increased the speed each mile. Fiddling with the degree of difficulty helps me stay engaged. Well, that and a good podcast. This gave me
a good push-- My legs felt more energized after a treadmill workout than they
have in a long time.
My weight is down a tiny bit I think, 181.8 was last
Friday’s measurement. Probably a negligible difference, but it’s still a bit of
an ego boost.
