Day 23: Monday, February 16, 2009

Well, today was my day to change my routine. It had been a couple of weeks since I had upped my running portion to 1:15, and the time had come where I have been able to run this time frame with, essential, ease, and so my body needed a new shock so as not to grow complacent.

I decided to keep my speeds constant, that is to say, walking at 4 MPH and running at 5 MPH, but change the duration to be 1:30 per side - repeating until I hit the 30 minute mark.

Something about 15 seconds just doesn't seem right - who knew 15 seconds could make such a huge difference. I was slightly worn down, and hoping that my running periods could feel shorter. I definitely had to push myself a bit more - which is not, necessarily, a bad thing.

I was able to complete the 30 minutes with fairly minimal strain. My breathing (which is an important one) didn't seem too terribly labored. The steps, on the other hand, felt hard, as my legs pushed forward, they wanted to stop - not cease up, but just stop, as in rest, but I wouldn't let them.

I completed the 30 minutes at a half and half split of running vs. walking - then I walked at 4 MPH for 3 minutes before beginning my cool down for the next two minutes.

In total, I completed 35:00 for a distance of 2.50 miles. I walked at 4 MPH for 18 minutes for a distance of 1.20 miles and ran at 5 MPH for 15 minutes for a distance of 1.25 miles.

I also completed 90 curls at 40 lbs. - completing 60 of these before getting on the treadmill and 30 after. I also did 15 squats on either side of the treadmill workout - 15 before non-weight aided, and 15 after while holding the 40 lb. weight.

Week 6 is off to a good start - we'll see how long it takes for me to get fully used to the new regime and new duration of running.