I went for a ride on my motorcycle yesterday. It was supposed to be sunny and nice. Instead, it turned cloudy and windy. It tried to start raining a few times but never amounted to anything. What I found amazing was checking my heart-rate when I got home after about a 4 hour ride (including stops). My heart-rate had spiked almost continually way into the "red zone" - much higher than my running intervals (even towards the end of my runs). That was certainly an eye opener.

Today was a Run day. But, first - it is also garbage day. And, even when garbage isn't put out until early in the morning, the raccoons/skunks still get into it. So, clean-up in aisle #1!

For my Run, I extended my run interval from 30secs to 45secs, and kept my walk part the same 90secs. It definitely was more challenging. 

start time: 6:10am (after garbage clean-up!); 5.4kms; 47.5mins; temp 8c; clear

First, I guess I should apologise to Garmin regarding my comments about the inflexibility of the apps/widgets on the vivoactive HR. I was wrong - sort of.

I have found that the statistics for my Walks is there on the Garmin Connect app - it's just buried and not convenient to discover.

As for setting warm-up & cool-down along with more flexibility in terms of intervals for my Runs - that is also available. But, through Garmin Express - an app(?)[it seems to need to bring up my web browser for a lot of its "interactions"] for my laptop (Windows7-based) that is supposed to interact with my "wearable" when connected via the USB. So far, connecting and syncing has been "poor" to say the least. I'll just leave it at that for now. I just don't have time for that crap.


Today's Walk - 6:05am; 9c (yep, still friggin' chilly in the morning); 5.4kms; 54.5mins. (a bit slower. I guess I need a better Playlist to listen to. Or, just not be so distracted thinking about so many different things and just concentrate on my Walk!)

I just have to break with the "all-about-me" for this post.

I wasn't going to be distracted from my focus on Turning Sixty but I just have to comment on the attack on the LGBTQ community in Orlando, Florida. My thoughts and tears are with you. (I am not part of the LGBTQ community personally, but I know many who are. Some are friends. Some are relatives. All are sisters and brothers of all of us here on planet earth.)

From Canada with love.

I also want to extend my condolences to everyone impacted by violence - be it by gun, knife, physical, verbal or psychological. We, the people of this planet, are better than that.

Oh, and it is my considered opinion that Donald Trump is an asshole. Really. Just do an internet search. Greater minds than mine have done extensive research and come to the same conclusion.

Enough said.

I have found my Garmin vivoactive HR a bit less accommodating than the free Runkeeper app I am using on my iPhone. While I can program Runkeeper to include any warm-up and cool-down along with my intervals of running and walking, this Garmin wearable seems to be focussed strictly on the activity - ie. the Run. Also, while I can adjust my intervals on Runkeeper by 1 sec, Garmin requires 15 second changes. I think 5 sec would be better.

I'm sure Garmin has based the Run app (or is that a widget - I'm not sure I know the difference), and others, on the wearables they have that are more sport specific. However, their vivoactive HR is better for someone, like me, that is starting out and needs more flexibility in the tracking - smaller increments in intervals, for example. Also, while the Garmin vivoactive HR has a Walk app/widget, it does not appear to have a corresponding section on the iPhone Garmin Connect app. Another shortcoming.

Today was a Run day. Certainly a lot cooler than yesterday - a balmy 11c, windy, mostly sunny, no real humidity; 5.4kms; 49.5mins (includes 5mins warm-up & cool-down each, 30sec. run/90sec walk)

Today was not a walk/run scheduled day. But, by 4:30pm I was getting antsy and went for a walk anyway.

Great time of day to go for a walk!

Lots of traffic; temp 31c; high humidity; mostly sunny. But I did 5.5kms in 53.5mins. And, I sweated a lot!!

Today I almost slept in. Really didn't want to get up and go for a walk. But, I did it anyway.

Decided to try a slightly different route to get away from noisy, smelly traffic - even at 6am. My slight change actually lengthened my route slightly, which was a welcomed surprise, actually. I'm looking for an overall quite route to be about 6kms total that starts and ends at my house.

Today walk - 6:10am; 5.5kms; 54mins.; temp - a balmy 8c!

I'm finding that getting up before 6am every day to walk or run is actually not all that hard. Since I have never really been a morning person I thought it would be more difficult. Maybe it's because I've decided I'm going to make this work - or else! Anyway so far I've been able to keep to my personal commitment - even in downtown Toronto.

Today was a fresh 5c temperature; 5.3kms; 47:30mins. (including 5mins warm-up & 5mins cool-down; 30secs run/1:30mins walk)