After taking a week off due to illness, I got back on track last night. Since it was raining and I was just recovered from illness, I stayed inside on the treadmill. Started off walking for 1.5 miles, then bumped the treadmill up to 8 mph at an incline of 1.0. Ran the first mile at 8 mph, concentrated on proper running form. Increased the speed to 8.5 mph for the first 1/2 of the second mile, then increased again to 9.0 mph for the last 1/2 mile. I can tell I need to make it in to the chiropractor - when I am out of alignment, it is 1) easier to run with poor form and 2) requires more exertion to run at the same speed than it does when I am fully aligned. I can equate this to the alignment on a vehicle - if the alignment is off, efficiency suffers as it requires more effort not only to keep the vehicle on track but as a result also requires more power to drive at the same speed. With that said, I am going to call the chiropractor and schedule an appointment for this week.
The good news is that I continue to lose weight, albeight slowly - I am about 3 pounds away from my goal weight now. Next item on my agenda is to purchase a new pair of running shoes (needs to be done within the next couple of weeks). After a stint with Saucony, I have decided that I am going back to Brooks, as I actually had my best experience with the Adrenaline GTS 5, and they have improved the Adrenaline GTS 7 to offer a fit more like the GTS 5. With my weight being down now, I feel more comfortable running in a normal stability shoe. I have never had much luck wearing the heaver shoes - every time I have done so, it seems to exacerbate any condition I may have had. I was actually in the best shape, and had my best year in a while when I was running in my GTS 5's, so it would make sense to me to go back to what worked well. | 