Heartache and Heartbeats

 The steps keep adding up. This past Saturday I was really feeling depressed. Every year I have a tough time getting through the anniversaries of some heartbreaking events that all occurred between June 25 and July 6. I knew I needed to drag myself to the gym and get a good workout in. I did 1100 steps on the Stairmaster in twenty minutes and then I tackled the treadmill. I did a steady pace of 3.0 mph at inclines from 3% to 15% several times. I completed 3 miles in the hour. I was worn out but I felt so much better both physically and emotionally. On Sunday I thought I would try doing rotations. 550 steps on the Stairmaster and then .5 miles on the treadmill ( 3% to 15%) . I did two rotations. I really didn't like it. The second rotation on the Stairmaster was much harder. I find that when I work straight through the 1000+ steps I have a better rhythm. The first half  always seems harder  (strange I know). So I will stick to what works best - complete the goal on the Stairmaster before hitting the treadmill. Yesterday I went to the gym after work. My goal was 1125 steps, I did 1150 and probably could've kept going. I did 1 mile on the treadmill - 5 minutes at 3%, 5 minutes at 8.5 %, 5 minutes at 15% then back to finish at 3%. My weeknight workouts will always focus more on the Stairmaster and then finish out the hour on the treadmill. This will lead to very little time on the treadmill once I start closing in on 2000 steps on the Stairmaster, but I think it is the most important part off my workout as I prepare for the Manitou Incline. I am already seeing an improvement on my cardio. When I started on the Stairmaster I was hitting 154-158 bpm, I am now 144 - 152 bpm. The numbers are even better on the treadmill. I need to start tracking my resting heart rate to see if there is an improvement there. I am currently in the mid to upper 60's. I still have some work to do to get it down a bit more, but I can at least see improvement. I need my maximum to stay below 155 bpm and to get my resting closer to 60 bpm. The progress I have made though in encouraging.