Well, I haven't written in a couple of days so I'll try to do the best I can from memory regarding what I've done during my workouts. I had Wednesday off and didn't walk or do anything that day. I wish I had because when I returned to the routine on Thursday, my workout was a little harder and I received a bit of a surprise. The Met Cart that I had done on Monday showed that my heart could take a bit more work. I fully expected a change in intensity on Tuesday and when it didn't happen, I was a bit relieved. Well, I then I take a day off and when I got back on Thursday I'm greeted with "Good Morning Mrs. Cynthia! Your Met Cart readings show that we can extend your time on the treadmill to 78 minutes!" Say what!?!
So, I used my little towel and covered up the numbers on the machine so I couldn't watch the clock. The speed and grade were kept the same as before at 2.8 mph and 2.0 incline. At the end of the work out, my numbers looked like this. 78 minutes on the treadmill, 2.0 incline, 2.8 mph, 3.89 miles, 384 calories burned.
On Friday, I got nearly through the workout, felt my second wind and decided to suggest an increase in grade to 3.0. At first, I couldn't tell a difference. About 25 steps later though, Uh Oh. I also noticed that a few more steps into the increased grade, I felt a strange sensation beneath the 2nd and 3rd toes of my left foot. It felt like a pulling ligament or something. When I curled my toes, the feeling went away. On the bright side, by increasing the grade it reduced my time spent on the treadmill .... only by 4 minutes but still a little reduction. If I bump up the speed, that will also shave some more time off.
Before leaving the facility yesterday, I asked again about working out at home on my days off. Before, they had told me to stick to my regular routine. But now, my regular routine has changed to include at least 1 hour walk. So, yesterday, they told me to go ahead and plan a walk for Saturday (today). When I went to bed last night, I was thinking about this walk. Where would I walk? How long should I walk? Should I split it in half? Should I try to just go straight down the road? Or should I plan a trip to the state park and do the primitive hiking trail? Should I do half of my time in the morning and half in the afternoon? Especially knowing how hot it is out there.
I was ecstatic to hear raindrops at 6 a.m. this morning. At 7:00 I was out of bed and talking with the husband about going with me. So, at 8:30, my husband and I hit the road. He ribbed me the entire way with, "You can't walk faster than that?" etc. As we passed my dad's driveway, I saw my step mom strolling about. I waved at her and invited her along as well. She gladly joined in and made my walk much more enjoyable. Knowing that on Thursday, according to the treadmill, I had walked nearly 3.89 miles. I had measured a distance from my house in my truck and knew where the 2 mile mark was. So, to get to that 2 mile point and back to the house, I would have to complete a 4 mile walk.
Since I walked on pavement and had nothing to check my speed, it was a little harder for me to judge my pace. Ultimately, it took me just a few minutes longer today than it would on the treadmill, but I completed a 4 mile walk before 10 a.m. So, I'm guessing it was still a 78 minute time. I still felt a little pulling in the left toes and walked the last 1/8 mile with those toes curled. What in the world is that about?!
The bottom line is that I made a 4 mile walk and did very little heavy huffing and puffing as I would have done a month ago. Even the little toe pain didn't kick in until nearly the end. I am excited about my progress. For Sunday, I will be taking off but doing swimming instead of walking. At this point, I'm looking forward to the workout on Monday.
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