Aside from the ones I blogged about, I did two more walks this week – my Thursday hill walk and a neighborhood walk today. The hill walk was another weird one. For some reason, that one’s often out of sorts. My heart monitor kept dropping out, but when it was working, it was showing my heart rate as being very high. Not sure I trust the readings.

Today I did a walk in my neighborhood. I got to the point where I usually cut across a park type area – it joins a park and a bridge that goes over MoPac. Sometimes, I go up over MoPac, but usually I just go over the slight hump to Shoal Creek. Today, however, I noticed a small dirt path that cut sharply up the hill to the bridge. I thought I’d give that a try. As I started to go up it, I realized it was steeper than I thought and that running it might actually be easier. Since it was dirt, my hip gave me the okay to run. (Well, I’m assuming it did – my brain answered for it.) Up I ran and boy was I out of breath by the time I got to the top. I then went down the hill on the paved path and when I got to the flat part, decided to turn and do the dirt path again. In all, I did it three times. By the third, my legs were a little jelly-like. I don’t want to mislead, it’s not a huge hill or something that would give really fit people a second notice, but I don’t care. I felt damn good about being able to run up that thing.

I’ve started a new thing in my Commitment Day diary. I’ve been putting little arrows next to each day – pointing up, down or just straight across. They are supposed to be a quick way to judge my progress when glimpsing through the diary. Up means food and exercise goals well met and I felt good. Straight across means I missed one of them or it just didn’t feel like a “progress made” day, but it wasn’t a downer either. Down could mean I failed both goals, or that I made one, but failed the other so miserably that it kind of wiped out the good of making the other. The summary for this week: 3 ups, 3 downs and one flat. (That is, if I can manage to not find a way to goof up today later one….evenings have been tough for me lately.)

Thursday hill walk:

HRM info:
Well, the bit it bothered to record (only about half the walk)
Effect: Maximal performance improving
Calories: 249
Percent of fat calories: 19%
Average heart rate: 123 BPM
Maximum heart rate: 163 BPM

Sunday walk:

HRM info:
Effect: Fitness improving
Calories: 620
Percent fat calories: 24%
Average heart rate: 130 BPM
Maximum heart rate: 164 BPM

Playlist:
Soul Coughing: Sleepless
4 Non Blondes: What’s Up
Smashing Pumpkins: Tonight, Tonight
Sex Pistols: Anarchy in the U.K.
Let’s Active: Route 67
John Doe: Grain of Salt
Peter Gabriel: The Drop
The Feelies: When Company Comes
Dead Kennedys: california uber alles
U2: Breathe
Death Cab for Cutie: Home Is A Fire
Paul Westerberg: Call That Gone?
R.E.M.: Letter Never Sent
Elvis Costello: Miss Macbeth
Bob Marley: Could You Be Loved
Elvis Costello: Last Boat Leaving
Pete Townshend: Cat’s In The Cupboard
The Clash: Lover’s Rock
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Around The World
Patti Smith: Nine
X: Drunk In My Past
X: Breathless
The Cure: Love Song
Kings of Leon: Pony Up
U2: Mothers Of The Disappeared
Nirvana: All Apologies