Another One Bites the Dust, Day 2 of 84

Today was HIIT and I really went for it on the treadmill but my high point was way lower than it used to be. Several months ago - before I had to take a break for my shins - I was running at 10 mph for my “10” but today’s high point was 8.6 mph. I’d like to run 3 miles in 20 minutes, but I’ll need to shave a good 14 minutes off my current time. That’s going to be tough. Maybe my goal of 3 miles in 20 minutes is a little too ambitious? There was a thread on tracker a while back and some English fella (can’t remember his name) who passed the physical test for the Royal Navy (or is it Army?) said the true test for an excellent level of fitness is running 3 miles in 20 minutes. Why I’m so concerned about this I don’t know, but I decided that that’s where I need to be. Anyway, today’s workout was (approximately) 480 calories, 3.8 miles and 45 minutes – I followed up my HIIT with some incline walking then steady jogging at 6.0 mph.

I made sure I stretched really well before and after my run, plus I cooled down by walking on my heels and toes and tonight I’ll write the alphabet a few times with my toes… please stay away shin splints. One thing that I noticed after my run is my left hamstring is acting up again. Hopefully the stretching will take care of that, too. Am I getting old or something?

I’ve got to plan for tomorrow’s lower body workout and I’m debating whether to continue BFL-style. I really hate doing leg press and having to get up and add plates in between sets. It’s kind of a pain in the ass. I’d rather just rest during my rest period.

During yesterday’s upper body workout, I really focused my mind on each body part while lifting. It’s the first time I’ve ever really, really focused and although I went down in weights a little since my last workout (5 or 6 weeks ago… yikes), I feel different today than I ever have. The muscle soreness is beyond anything I remember from my previous hiatus in weight lifting. So maybe focusing my mind really made a difference.