Elliptical & PT

   So yesterday I was back to the cardio training.  Again, the training was done on the elliptical.  Originally I was going to try to do a 70 minute (my equivalent of 7 miles) workout but as the day went on I could feel myself developing a cold.  In the morning I had a dry nagging cough and by the afternoon the cough had gotten a little bit worse, I had a slight headache and just felt run down.  I decided that I would still go to the gym because any training I could get in is better than nothing.  After I got there, I decided that I would save my long workout for tomorrow and instead I would really push it and try to power out 40-45 minutes working as hard as I can.
    The workout started great in that my legs felt strong and I had a really good pace going.  Normally, 1 mile of elliptical distance (the one that the machine displays) takes me about 11:30 to complete.  During this workout though I was powering through a mile in ~ 10 min.  I didn't know how long I would be able to keep this pace up since I was really working pretty hard, but I decided to take it 5 minutes at a time.  I through in some "hills' to help pass the time and then next thing I knew I had finished 4.2 miles of elliptical distance in 40 minutes.  It wasn't the 70 minute workout I had hoped for, but it was by far the most intense 40 min workout I have had yet.  Again, it helps to solidify the fact that my cardiovascular endurance and leg strength is continuing to improve despite the fact that I am not out on the road running.  In the end, the big question will be if the leg strength / cardio I am gaining by working out on the elliptical will carry over to actual running on pavement ... I hope so.
     In addition to the cardio component of my workout, I also had homework from physical therapy.  Yep, that's right, a list of 6 exercises and stretches that I have to do 2 times per day.  Like I mentioned earlier they are aimed at increasing the flexibility / strength of the hip and gluts.  I was able to do them twice yesterday, and despite how easy the pictures look a couple of them are actually pretty hard.  I thought to myself that if I were doing these for any other reason I probably wouldn't be compliant with them, kind of like how people wont be as dedicated to running if they don't have something to train for.  Regardless, I need to get them done twice a day so hopefully I can take on more intense ones next week at my follow up PT appointment.