Treadmill advice

    Dear Running of the Pink friends,

   

     I hope you are making good running progress as we get closer to the Running of the Pink. Being a wimp, I am still doing my workouts indoors and because of my advanced age, I am doing the elliptical four days and running just one or two. We talked earlier that we don’t have to get there all at once. Making progress step by step is great. I was able to do three miles on the treadmill yesterday at an average of eleven minutes. Again, the time doesn’t matter, slowly adding distance is what counts.

    

    Several years ago I was all ego tripping about how well I was doing on the treadmill. I was far and fast and easily convinced myself that I was a stud. Finally on a beautiful February day I took my new found speed outside and bombed completely. I learned that I was practicing at dead level and that doesn’t match outside conditions. I now jog at a two percent grade and while my ego is bruised, I now match my treadmill times when I am on the street.

  

    My other finding is that all elliptical doesn’t convert to running. I may be in overall good shape after a winter of elliptical, but I can’t run a step. The two muscle sets don’t cross over well. I am very pleased with my results when I substitute a couple days of treadmill for the elliptical every week.

    See you June 6th.

    Casey