This was a tough week. I tried to move to 55% body weight, but I wasn’t ready. In my usual fashion, I want to push it along to lower weights faster, but I have to remember to be patient and allow my body the time it needs to acclimate to the higher weights.
It’s frustrating to not have a road map that will show me exactly what I need to do to get back to 100% function. If it were a matter of a number of miles to run or sit-ups to do or physical therapy sessions, then I would just show up, do the work and move on. Unfortunately, I never know if I am doing enough or whether what I’m doing is the right thing. I go through long plateau periods where I’ll work very hard and see no improvement in my gait or motor functions and then I will have a random and surprising breakthrough with some noticeable improvement. It can make one crazy to try to predict how to effect consistent improvements and outcomes. I may never figure it out, but I’ll keep pushing even for minor results, because every little improvement helps to increase quality of life. I noticed minor improvements in my gait after the last session so I can’t help but think that the higher weight is the way to go.
My progress this week wasn’t very exciting, except that I was able to stay consistently at 50% and felt less winded and more at ease during the runs. It was more of mental game to run through the discomfort for the first few miles of each session, but at the end of each run, I started to feel the endorphin rush and gained more confidence in each step. I had a fair amount of foot scuffs or trips and had to hold on to the handles on the front of the AlterG a few times due to fatigue, but the Anti-Gravity Treadmill™ is such a safe environment to run in that I don’t worry about falling. The shorts are zipped in to the inflatable bag and keep me safely suspended over the treadmill belt. It is quite easy to recover from minor and major trips and it makes me feel very safe. This is a huge advantage, because, I ‘m not distracted by the fear of falling. By the end of the week, I was coming along and while I wouldn’t say it got easy, I feel comfortable enough to push toward raising my running weight to 55% next week.
Week 3 Progress:
Day One – 4/26/2010
- Time: 45 mins.
- Distance: miles 3.88
- Weight: 50 %
- Speed: Miles 1 & 2 = 6.0 mph, Mile 3 & 4 =8.0 mph
- 5 minute walks to warm-up & warm-down @ 2.5 mph
Day Two – 4/29/2010
- Time: 47 mins.
- Distance: 4.15 miles
- Weight: 40 % – 50%
- Speed: Mile 1 & 2= 6mph, Mile 3= 7 mph, Mile 4 = 8 mph
- 5 minute walks to warm-up & warm-down @ 2.5 mph
Day Three – 4/30/2010
- Time: 45 mins.
- Distance: 3.2 miles
- Weight: Miles 1 = 40%, Mile 2 & 3 = 50%
- Speed: Mile 1 = 6 mph, Mile 2 = 7 mph, Mile 3 = 7.5 & 8.5
Next week’s goal: Move to 55% body weight varying speeds. Please feel free to chime in with comments on how your AlterG workout is going!
–Paty