Weather Is A Motivator

This morning I spend lounging about, but after realizing that I was wasting a beautiful day, I got myself off the couch and outside. My plan was to go for a nice long walk. I wasn't really sure exactly where I was going to go, although I thought that walking along the Westside Path sounded like a good plan. When I got there, I decided to walk south along the path. I have been north a number of times riding my bike and thought it'd be fun to mix it up a little bit.

When I first started walking, I was really feeling sad for myself. I just kept watching everyone running and biking past me past me and felt especially bad when I saw two couples riding bicycles built for two. It's all just a reminder of what I can't do right now. But, then I realized that it was a beautiful day outside and I might as well take advantage of that. So, I sucked it up and kept on walking. Since I didn't really have a plan, I wasn't really sure how far I was going to go. I knew when I got to Chelsea Piers that I was about two miles from home, but I decided to keep going until I got to 45 minutes in one direction.

I ended up making it to Houston Street at the 45 minute mark. That's 3.4 miles away from our apartment (a 13:14 pace). I kept peeking at my heart rate monitor throughout the workout. I really wanted to know how high my heart rate was getting and if this walking stuff would be a decent enough substitute for running while my arm is healing. As soon as I saw that my heart rate got to 160, I did everything I could to keep it there or higher.

When I turned around at Houston Street, I really tried to book it home and see if I could make it home faster than I walked there. I felt really great that I was able to pick up the pace a little bit, especially since I felt like I was walking pretty quickly on the way there. I have to say, though, that there is something a little bit ridiculous feeling about being out there and just going for a really long power walk.

Drew's sister recently started running after going on long walks for exercise and she said that when she was considering starting to run, all she could think of was how she could get places so much faster if she was running. I kept thinking the same thing myself today. But, the truth is that I can't run. I've got to stop feeling sorry for myself and just do what I can.

In actuality, I felt really good after this walk. I was glad to have gotten outside and enjoyed the weather today. I was glad that my arm didn't really bother me too much while I was walking. I was glad that I was able to hold such a quick pace for the walk. And I was especially glad that there was a street fair on the way home where I was able to buy some Kettle Corn. I'm sure that's a good recovery treat, right? As soon as I got home, I iced my elbow as a precautionary measure, but I think that everything is okay there (as far as I can tell).

Walking
Time: 1:28:39
Distance: 6.80 miles
Pace: 13:02/mile
Calories: 869
Maximum HR: 172
Average HR: 157