Back on the treadmill

Last night I got back on the treadmill after three weeks rest. My knee is still not 100% better, though. I wasn't feeling it much from day to day, though. Last week, I did feel a sharp pain, so I knew it wasn't over. I was standing up after sitting on the floor and angled it just right. Most of the time, it's been ok, though. I'll be in the water twice per week starting tomorrow, however I will be walking rather than swimming. Hopefully that doesn't aggravate it. (I will be taking my daughter to "swimming" lessons.)

The run last night went well. I did 2 miles at 5.0-5.2 miles per hour. After that, I did Stage 1 workout A3 of the New Rules of Lifting for Women. That went very well. I can definitely see that using the heavy weights and short rests helps get my heart rate up. I was up in the 150's a few times when it was intense. I had to lengthen a couple rests a bit to bring my heart rate back down.

This time I did the step-ups on a weight bench. My footing wasn't as firm due to the padding, but that just increased the intensity a bit. It was a much better height than that little 8 inch box I had used before. This time, using 10lb bells in each hand had me at my limit, while before 25lb bells only maxed out my hand strength!

For the squats, I was able to get a lot lower, but still not quite as low as I wanted. I realized that if I slant my toes out slightly rather than having my feet be parallel, I could squat a lot lower.

For the cable row, this time there was a bench already situated under the cable machine, so I used that. Much nicer than sitting on the floor!

I did the push-ups at 45degrees using the Smith machine. They went pretty well and had me at my limit by the time I reached 12 reps, so I think for now, that is the right setting. When the reps are lowered, I guess I can lower the Smith bar accordingly. Maybe to 30degrees.

The prone jackknives are still kicking my butt, but I got through them ok. The stability ball really kicks that one up several notches!

I iced my knee when I went to bed and I'm wearing a compression brace today. If this soreness comes back like it was and doesn't go away, I'm going to have to go to the doctor. :(

Last night I forgot my water bottle. Very bad. The water at the gym is HORRIBLE! It is very bad. They must not be on city water, even though they are really close to town. I hope they get added some time, because that is just soooo nasty. The toilets and water fountain are stained from the water and the place isn't that old. It leaves a icky, long lasting aftertaste. They do sell bottled water there. I will be tempted to buy one next time I forget my own water.