16 miles

Observations from logging 16 miles on a treadmill this week:

-It sure was a good idea to take a day off after the first two days. I needed a day for recovery after overdoing it.

-I don't think my legs and knees take as much of a beating on the treadmill. There have been times in the hours or day afterward that I'm hobbling around, but generally speaking, I haven't been hurting as much as I would after an hour of exercise following a long layoff. I've pushed myself fairly hard this week, but I'm not wincing at every step in a flight of stairs, which I've done in the past.

-The treadmill keeps me honest with my stride. This is important if I work up to running rather than walking on it.

-I'm curious if being forced to keep a consistent pace for an hour translates to the track or trail.

-Music is definitely better than a podcast. I thought that listening to talk might be more distracting, but without the rhythm, it kind of makes the minutes seem to drag.

-It is endlessly tempting to look at my progress and the remaining time. The willpower not to peer at it is part of the conditioning and the challenge.

-The effects of doing this are already noticeable. I feel better. I'm sleeping better (and sometimes too early in the evening). I look forward to it. For the first week, I consider this a major success. Now I just need to keep it up, step by step, day by day, and week by week.