I love step-ups...

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

I’d gotten Holly a Garmin GPS for her birthday. She had mentioned that Wal-Mart had the one we’d had stolen for $50 less than we’d paid for it…which was $150. I went to get it, but she’d also mentioned the more expensive one…which was now the price of the cheaper one that had been stolen…and so that’s what I got. After giving it to her she did what all prudent wives do…checked the price against the same product at Staples. It was $60 cheaper there. Needless to say…we took back the Wal-Mart version.

I kind of hate that at Christmas time. I can’t buy anything without thinking that it’s going to be somewhere else a lot cheaper. I also hate how the prices plummet just after Christmas…a time I’m not willing to spend at stores fighting crowds to make returns and get the best deals. I’m just not a good shopper and I know it. I’m the guy retailers count on to make a profit. I hate being that guy…but if it wasn’t for me, prices would be higher for everyone else out there…so just say ‘thanks’ and leave it at that.

I decided on a walk with the pack workout and headed for the South Chagrin Reservation after work. I planned to do step-ups and was looking for something a little different. I don’t know my way through this park anywhere nearly as well as North Chagrin, so I stayed with the bridle path straying a short distance into the woods to do my step-ups on downed logs or small boulders. I only had 30 pounds in the pack so I figured to do more and faster step-ups when I stopped and by the time I returned to the car an hour later, had completed 300. Even with the lighter weight, I knew I was in for some sore hamstrings and butt muscles over the next couple of days. I didn’t really care. I wanted to feel some of that soreness you get whenever doing an activity with muscles that don’t get used that often. It’s a pain…but a good pain and I could use some ‘good pain’ for a change.

Hike duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600.