Well, I may have forgotten to bring a 2nd pair of tips for my Nordic poles, which I discovered I wore out during yesterday's outing on those Georgia country roads...got around 45 mins. from my son's home when I realized that *scrape-scrape* those rubber tipped poles weren't quite sounding right as I was traveling along...sure enough looked at the bottom of the pole and the rubber had been worn right down to the metal pole...sheesh!

What to do now? Well, walk, dummy! Yeah, but walking just didn't cut it for me...just didn't satisfy my urge to MOVE! So I started jogging! I had ventured around 45 mins. from home when I had decided to return just carrying my poles while jogging along...at first thinking I'd just jog a bit and get back to walking...but you know...? It felt kinda all right! So I jogged the whole way back in 30 mins.! Now I know my Nordic walking tends to vary between 4-5 mph. So how fast was I jogging...? Dunno...

BUT: Tonight on our way traveling home after 12 hours on the road we checked in at a low-budget hotel...you know, for one night why spend any more than necessary...? Did they have a pool...? Yep: opens in two days. Did they have wireless internet? Yep: except not in our room. Did they have a fitness center? Yep: except they just keyed the room and the manager couldn't find any key that would open it.

Batting a thousand, eh....? Well, I always have my two feet AND I brought along my jump rope as a back up plan...

Anyhow, after fiddling with their internet service for a half hour trying to get the wireless working I gave up and lo & behold the manager gets the fitness center (such as it was...) open. Ugh: no elliptical! I SO like to do elliptical when I'm away from home. There was a stair climber...tried it for 10 mins. ugh...still don't like those things...too clunky, awkward, can't get any RHYTHM going on one of those.

All right how about the stationary bike? I've been away from my bicycle for around 2 weeks now...would be good to at least limber up on a stationary bike! Yep, if it worked! No power...pedals whizzed around with no resistance whatsoever...

That left the 3rd and last gadget...a treadmill.

I've gotta tell ya, my treadmill at home has been gathering LOTS of dust since I've been able to get out cycling and/or Nordic walking. I have to admit to even feeling a bit...ugh, not the TREADMILL...these days...so SPOILED by the outdoors!

I was THIS close to opting to just getting outside and walking / running around the building when I realized: hey...there is an *air conditioner* in here! I can max out the A/C while on the treadmill!

Okay, so I decide...it's been a LONG day and although I'm weary in a way, I feel a lot of pent up energy from sittting and driving all day. Let's give it a good effort: I set it for 60 mins. Was surprised to find that 60 was the max time setting! Incline? Well I use a "10" on my treadmill at home so I'll start with that. Speed? Let's start at 4 for warm up.

Soon I bumped it up to 4.5. Then 5...and noticed something: I usually have a slow jog going at 5 mph, but I was still taking rapid long strides. Hmmm...maybe I need more incline...bumped it up to "15"...the max setting on the incline, which STILL didn't feel like the incline on my home treadmill. What is it with these treadmill manufacturers...can't they kick out more incline...?lol

Good song...okay let's get running...5.5...ooh GREAT SONG...how about 6 mph...? You know...6 is what I used to do for a short song now and again. But tonight? I just held it at 6 or MORE for the majority of my hour on the treadmill! On MAX incline! A couple of songs really pushed me...my personal "Rocky" song, which is Emerson Lake & Palmer's rocked out version of Aaron Copeland's Fanfare for the Common Man...AWESOME track! Even if World Wide Sports DID use it for their theme song once upon a time! www.youtube.com/watch?v=
EN5ap9AseQc

Kinda makes me feel like I'm at my own personal Olympics or something...! :-) Pushed it to 6.5 mph!

And THEN came Jefferson Airplane's live version of 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds, which pushed me to 6.7 mph!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Qtxhd0Yvmg0

I finished my hour on the 'mill racking up 5.9 miles...woo hoo!

Part of me still wonders if this 'mill (Life Fitness) is defective and these numbers aren't valid...? But although I can't say I have the "running bug" just yet, I can certainly feel something percolating that hasn't been there quite to this degree in the past...!

Well, it's late, must crash so I can get up and hit the road for the final home stretch!

Hope everyone's Sparkin' Plenty out there...!

Don