(no subject)

Feeling quite pleased with myself today. I've been doing cardio on an eliptical trainer at the gym a few times a week, working up to a goal of 15 minutes with no slow down intervals. Up to last week i did a 9 minute straight through with a minute slowdown, 4 minutes and a minute cool down at the end. Yestereday, all the planets felt like they were in line and the music on the iPod was perfect. I realized i could keep going and kept going and then adrenaline pulled me the rest of the way and i did 15 minutes in one go. The pace was not fast, but not so slow that the machine thought i'd stopped either. Heart rate stayed in a pretty good spot. I don't know if i can do that every time but at least I know i can and i can get there sooner than later. Once i can do it all the time, i'll either pick up the intensity or start to add another interval on and shoot for 20 minutes eventually. At the beginning of the year i couldn't do 3 minutes.

It's not about being out of breath though, it's about tiring out and legs going like jelly, that's why i could only do those 3 minutes at first. that, and my heart rate was up too high. I could walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes without incident and we're walking longer than that when we're traveling and walking around in a city like Rome or Paris. The Eliptical trainer gives you the motion of an almost-jog but without the impact. It's almost springy and feels sort of like running in water but without the resistance of water. With good music on, it almost feels like dancing a bit. I was holding on to the handles that swing back and forth but i was finding my lower back complaining and the chiro practor suggested it was giving my back just a bit of a twist so to try holding onto the centre fixed handles. I do that now and my back doesn't complain the next day.

It is making a difference, too. I do feel a bit stronger though still not any surges of extra energy or stamina as such.

Anyway. Progress has been made. Onward and upward.