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| Can you spot me? I am in the crowd, somewhere. Its like where's Waldo, except you don't know who I am and what I look like. I'll give you a hint, I am one of the runners, not one of the onlookers. |
I have given up the treadmill. My very first race a few years ago was a 10 mile trail run. I trained for it everyday on the treadmill. At the time, I didn't know much about running. I had no plan and no gear. I just put on my tennis shoes, got on the old mill, hit start and ran. Everyday, I ran on the treadmill. I told myself that if I could run 8 miles on the mill, then I could handle 10 miles outside. Looking back on it, I don't think I even realized it was a trail run until the day of the race.
Once I decided to do my first marathon, I did all of my runs on the treadmill except for my long runs on Saturday. Again, every evening after work, I went to the gym, grabbed a mill, and ran mile after mile on that thing.
How the heck did I do that?
Today, I hate the treadmill with the passion of 1,000 suns. Seriously, I hate the treadmill. Last week, I had an easy 3 miler on deck, and I wanted to get some cross training in afterwards. Those 3 miles were the longest, most painful miles I have had in years. I was bored out of my mind, even though there were 10 t.v.'s hanging in front of me. I seriously could not handle how bored I was on the machine.
Running outside, and being outside is more enjoyable than ever now. I find that I am inside so much these days, that any chance I have to get outdoors, I leap at. Even if I am not somewhere particularly beautiful, I still crave the fresh(ish?) air filling my lunges. There is something so much more serene and peaceful about running outside for me than hitting the treadmill now. I am sure I will chicken out one morning when its 30 degrees outside and head for the gym rather than tough out the cold. For now, I'm going to keep hitting the pavement.
Are you a treadmill runner/walker? What do you do to make the time pass quickly?
5 comments:
Cannot stand the treadmill. Outside runner all the way, however I may be challenged in a couple of days. Predicted highs in the low 20s on Friday and Saturday, boo.
while I don't love it...I do run on the tread here and there as you know I do work in a fitness center. The outside near my work is not as running friendly as home. My favorite gym cardio is the StepMill so I guess I can't quite give up the mill!
man, i envy you for running. i can seriously only run like 1/2 mile without stopping. i'm just a whimp. ugh. i need you in my life to push me along. why can't we live closer. we could be such good friends?!?!
i rarely do the treadmill. supposedly for my asthma i shouldn't run in cold air, but dang treadmill running is boring. and humid, even in the winter.
The treadmill is terrible, but when it gets so cold outside, it seems like the only option available. I'm thinking of trying cardio or some other type of classes so as not to feel stuck all winter.
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