I had to go to work today and if I wanted to keep up my training routine, I had to go to the gym and do it on a treadmill. This is a very different experience than running out in the street. You think it would be more pleasant because the climate is better, but actually, I like running outside far more.

I rarely use a treadmill and when I do, I use some sort of pre-set. There are many different types of machines at the gym, and I haven’t mastered the subtleties of each. I used a machine that turns out to have had levers on the side so I can change the speed. This is easier to use than pressing buttons on the console. This is important because my routine requires a constant shifting a speed every minute; 1 minute run, 1 minute walk. It’s rather annoying on the treadmill.

So I used level 3.5 for walking, and 5 for running. The 1 minute runs are getting easier for me. Each day in fact, it is easier. I understand that treadmill running is a little easier, due to lack of wind resistance, but I would like to think that each day I do this, I improve and it isn’t just the treadmill. Today, the last running cycle of my 20 minute routine, rather than running 1 minute, I did two. I probably could have done more.

The worst part of today’s work out was not the breathing, but the pain in my interior lower calf starting a little bit above my ankle. I wore different sneakers than I usually wear. (I have one pair I keep at home and one at work.) It could be the sneakers, or maybe the treadmill, or just strain from yesterday’s run.

Nevertheless, I’m not training tomorrow as planned since I’m working out two days on, one day off. I’ll have one day to rest and recover.