Shoes That Fit

I was about to leave for the gym when I got a package delivered. It was the athletic shoes I had ordered yesterday from Zappos. Zappos appears to be the only place I can find my size width in reputable athletic shoes at a vaguely reasonable price. Overnight delivery was a nice surprise at no extra cost! Brooks running shoes are too expensive for my budget so I looked at the New Balance brand. Found a pair under $100 that came in the rare 6 1/2 extra wide and wasn't geriatric butt-ugly. Actual brick and mortar stores might carry a few extra wide sizes but only for big feet, as if only big people need wide sizes. It's a matter of statistics. The chances are greater that a big person with fat feet will need to buy a wide-size sneaker than a person with tiny feet. 

I had to wake my son several times before we got underway. At least his earbuds, which I recovered from the bottom of the washing machine after doing a load, still worked once they dried out. My feet felt pretty good during HIIT cardio. The NB sneakers aren't as cushioned as the memory-foam imbued Skechers GoWalks that I own. But the Skechers are also 1/2 size too big, and the white plastic soles are slippery. The NBs are less cushiony but still comfy and the soles don't slide on the wood floors in the classroom. 

Shiny Shoes is coaching a client at the Smith so I take my son to the dumbbell area and we do DB Incline Presses. It's harder to balance two separate weights and requires more focus and core strength. We start light. I do a set at a slightly heavier weight. I'm sure I could bump up another 5 lbs (per each DB) but I'll wait until next week. The DB Laterals are more problematic. First, my son complains that his left forearm and elbow feel as if there's a muscle tear. He's wearing long sleeves so I can't really see if he's keeping his elbows slightly bent. I give him a lighter weight but he looks annoyed. I have him do front raises. His elbows and forearms feel okay. We move on to Lat Pull Downs with a close grip handle.

The power goes out in the gym. Luckily the lights flicker back on within a minute. It takes longer for the country-western wail and the wifi to return. The sound of thunder rolls overhead, but there's no lightning and no rain. We do a few sets at a moderate weight before taking 15 minutes to jog on the treadmill. Actually, I don't jog. It's too jarring on my joints. I raise the incline to 5 which is halfway up and keep the speed adequate for fast walking. My heart rate never rises above 113 so it's not much of a cool down. I think you need to be hot to cool down. Going from cold to cool is barely worth the time, but I did tell my son he could choose the final cardio. He likes the treadmill, but then again, he can jog without any issues. Back again on Friday! 

Wednesday Combo

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 300
Miles 2.73
HR 142-188 (100)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 23
Child 8
Child Push Ups 30

Crunches Legs Up 50
Bicycles 50
Crunches knees bent 50
Horizontal Scissors 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

DB Inclined Press with Child
15 lbs x 12, 12
20 lbs x 12, 12
25 lbs x 12 (me)

DB Laterals
10 lbs x 12 x 3 child
12 reps x 10, 20 lbs

Lat pulldowns close grip
85 lbs x 12, 12, 12

15 Treadmill
Incline 5
Speed 2.5-2.8
Miles 0.68
Calories 89
HR 97-113

Mat Stretch