Today it was raining all day long. I have always said when it comes to running, I can do rain or I can do cold, but I cannot do cold rain. So today I was bound to my frenemy, the treadmill.
I had 4 miles on the agenda today but I only managed to get through 3 of them. I was tired, achy and just frustrated and bored. It really made me realize that my attitude toward treadmills is still all wrong.
Here are my stats:
- Distance: 3.0 miles
- Time: 33:28
- Pace: 11:09 / mile
I walked until the clock read 40 minutes to cool down. I also did some light stretching. As I sit here my knees are really hurting me. I can’t wait to get back outside. Oh yeah, back to my attitude.
Yes, the treadmill is different. I used to be more friendly toward it; in fact I did many of my training runs for my first half marathon (2008) on the treadmill. But I got away from it for so long that it’s been a process I have not embraced again just yet.
I’ve started to learn again that I need to go slower on the treadmill and worry more about distance than time, at least with longer runs; I can do speed work on the treadmill if I’m just doing a mile or two. I also need to start taking a towel with me.
Since I don’t have any scenery to look at, I need to plan for distractions to keep me from realizing what’s going on, to not feel like a hamster on a wheel. This might be music, television, or perhaps just covering up the screen with a piece of paper. I certainly don’t track myself like this outside, I just sort of go with the flow.
I read a really great article earlier this week about treadmills called The Upside of Running Inside and I think it is no coincidence. This hit home, especially today: “10 minutes per mile is a happy conversational run outside, but an insufferable slog on the mill.” Ha.
I really need to figure out how to make treadmills a positive part of my training. I will likely only have to use them once or twice a week at the most, less when the weather is more tolerable. So what’s the big deal?
How about you? Treadmills : love ‘em or hate ‘em?
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