Stella vs. 'Milly Interval Extravaganza Workout

Ok, I think I have been cooped up inside for far too long.

I came back from Chicago with a nasty head cold and throat-scalding cough (You can read about Chicago HERE). I remember reading or hearing that if you stay inside too much, it can actually weaken your immune defenses because all the "gunk" is also trapped inside with you (no fresh air filter). Typically, I'm an outdoors kind of gal, but it's been so cold, damp, and dangerous outside that I have stayed in the house.

Ugh. 

I think my current state of illness has pretty much run its course, but I didn't want to risk a relapse by going outside (it was in the low-30's, windy, and damp)....so I decided to get creative. The constant power walking (and moderate running) on the 'mill is SO boring for me, it was time to mix it up a bit.

Here we go again, 'Milly

May I introduce you to Stella? Since my 'mill has a name ('Milly), I thought it only proper to also give my beloved stairway a name as well...so Stella it is. Trust me, I like her a lot more than I do 'Milly.

Hello there, Stella!

I have been an avid stair-climber for several years, and often times incorporate intervals of stairs with treadmill time. The treadmill gives my quads and calves a break (as I walk back and forth from the stairway to the mudroom where 'Milly resides), and the stairs breaks up the monotony of the running-in-place "feature" of the treadmill. That's a win-win, yes?

So, here's my most recent Stella vs. 'Milly Ladder Extravaganza:

*10 sets of steps (one set = going up one flight and then coming back down)

*1/4 mile on the treadmill (incline on 2, pace set at 6.0)

*15 sets of steps

*1/4 mile on the treadmill (same as above)

*20 sets of steps

*1/4 mile on the treadmill (same as above)

*15 sets of steps

*1/4 mile of the treadmill (same as above)

*10 sets of steps 

*cool down (I walked for 5 minutes, but adjusted the pace setting to 4.0)

My Stats:

**1 total mile run in distance

**70 total sets of steps

**1/4 mile walked (cool down)

**34 total minutes of cardio (including cool-down)

Some notes:

**I recommend a warm-up of some sort. A few minutes of power walking would suffice, as well as a bit of foam rolling on your quads, hammies and calves.

**Do the steps however you wish. Being tall, I always do doubles (taking the steps "by two's"), but periodically mix in a few sets of triples (you guessed it, taking the steps in 3-step intervals...these are a much slower, more controlled move).

**It can get difficult to keep accurate count of the steps; something that helps me is alternating which foot I start with...on all the "odd" sets, I start with  my right foot (r-i-g-h-t has 5 letters, which is an odd number) and on the "even" sets, I start with my left foot (l-e-f-t has 4 letters, which is an even number). Pure genius, I know. I wish I had the patent for that coding system.

**You can also vary the speed of your running intervals...increasing the speed or making the incline higher, then tapering down.

What do you think? Care to give it a try? Have you ever incorporated stair-climbing into your workouts?

I'm linking up with:

Susie and Rachel and Debbie and Lora for the Running Coaches'Corner 

Nicole and Michelle and AnnMarie and Jen for the Wild Wednesday Workout