Better with age

My treadmill broke last summer. We got the treadmill six years ago and I loved it. Both Cyndi and I regularly ran on it. It was a gym quality treadmill that was relatively low maintenance. The deck broke last year and they wanted about $500 to fix it. I bought Cyndi an Elliptical machine when I graduated from Northwestern and decided that the $500 to fix the treadmill would go toward the new equipment. I've been using the Elliptical too, but I miss the treadmill.

Last month, I had decided that I was going to get the treadmill fixed. The guy came over and was getting ready to make the repair, but before he did, he plugged it in. Nothing. The motor was shot. Since the treadmill was over five years old, it was no longer under warranty. They wanted close to $900 to fix everything. I could get a new treadmill for that price, but have not pulled the trigger just yet.

I know that the Elliptical machine is much better for me as I get older. It's low impact and gives me the cardio workout I need. But I miss the treadmill.

I've never been an expert runner. I never really ran much before college. Even in college, I didn't run on a regular basis until I joined ROTC. We ran a lot back then. Six miles most mornings. We ran in a group and in cadence. THAT was a good way to run.

In ROTC, we had to pass these PT (Physical Training) Tests. At my age, I had to run two miles in something like 20-23 minutes to pass (I think). Running alone, I was a mess. I couldn't keep a good pace, I easily got bored. I think I passed each time, but my time was horrible.

I continued to run after college. When I lived in Arizona, I ran in the orange groves. When I moved back and lived in the city, Cyndi and I would run along the lake. When we moved to the suburbs with Frederic, we ran while pushing him in a jogging stroller. We never ran fast/hard, but it felt good.

I've never been a distance runner either. I am certain there is no marathon in my future. I have done a couple of 10 mile runs. The first was a Marine Corps 10 miler in 1998. I ran it in 2:01. Pathetic. In my defense, it was 98 degrees the whole time. I was in Maryland with Bob Porter for this run. It was cool running through Annapolis.

When we moved back from Philadelphia, I was overweight. Even though we worked out regularly, I was pushing the high 180's. That's way too heavy for me. So I decided to do something about it.

That "something" was Body for Life. And it worked. I think the best thing I got out of doing that 12 week program (in 2001), was not only losing weight (I dropped to 170 and under and have still kept it off) but the manner in which I run. BFL has its participants run in intervals. You run for two miles at whatever your "Level 6" (of 10) is. Then you run for a minute at 6, 7, 8, and 9 and then drop back down to 6. You do this for four total circuits with the second to last minute being at a 10 and then dropping back down to six. It's a total of 20 minutes and it helped me bring my time down dramatically.

When I run on a treadmill, I have been able to run a 7:30 mile. I've ran four miles at an 8:00 mile pace. When I ran the "Soldier Field 10-Mile" race several years ago, my time was 1:42.

Today, I ran at a Bally Total Fitness in Houston, TX. I wanted to see how fast I could run two miles. I did it in 17 minutes.

As I've aged, my running has actually gotten better. Some things do get better with age...