Walking in place on a snowy morning

I measured a half-inch of snow in our driveway this morning, but of course it was enough to cancel all of the schools in the area.

It did not, however, deter me from my 20-minute stroll on the treadmill.

I popped the garage door up momentarily to give a view of the snow, but lowered it for the rest of my walk since it’s a brisk 28 degrees out there.

I use a slightly obsolete iPod Shuffle to keep my brain entertained during these workouts. It’s astounding how much energy you can get from such a tiny device.

Here’s what came up in the random rotation this morning:

1. I’ve Got a Lover (Back in Japan) – Eurythmics
2. Jerry’s Yelling at the Man in the Moon – John Mellencamp
3. Would I Lie to You? – Eurythmics
4. Snatch it Back and Hold it – Junior Wells
5. Supermassive Black Hole – Muse

I had a one-mile route laid out when we lived in Thorntown and I find myself visualizing it as I watch the numbers roll by on the distance readout.

At .25 mile I’ve covered the distance from our house to the old Marathon Station at Pearl and Main and am turning left to walk past the frame shop on the south side of Main Street.

At .50 mile, I visualize myself turning left onto West Street by the Presbyterian Church. The .75 mile mark is another left turn onto Mills Street by the elementary school, from which I can see my house.

My time in high school marching band and the Air Force left me programmed to bring my left heel down on the first and third beats of a song, which sometimes requires a little stutter step to achieve. But once I’m in the groove, walking along in time with the music, the process seems almost effortless.

I took it relatively easy this morning and knocked out a mile in 18:30, but the goal is to get my heart rate into the target zone for 20 minutes, so it doesn’t really matter what my time is for a mile.

My Suunto Advizor heart rate monitor tells me I averaged 119 bpm, with a high of 131 and a low of 99.

No, these are not impressive numbers. They’re not supposed to be. This is about crawling back into long lost levels of physical fitness, not about competition.