On the Road Again

            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.

 

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.

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.