Dear Treadmill,
I wanted to write you this letter to say thanks for being part of my running/training team. I know you often end up with a bad wrap and I wanted to put out there that I really do appreciate you and I wanted to tell you about a recent workout of mine.
This winter has been pretty interesting for me. I packed up my flip flops and dug out my snow boots for a few cold months in Rhode Island. I started training for a May marathon in January and it was going pretty well until it started snowing and just wouldn't stop. With snow banks rebuilding at least once a weeks the sidewalks were barely clear(ish) for any amount of time and the roads weren't much better. Though running on ice can make the miles slip by, (see what I did there? Ice. Slip) it doesn't do a whole lot for pace runs or long distance runs.
The other issue we have been having is the temperature outside. Though we feel clever when we can talk about running as many miles as degrees Fahrenheit that gets old pretty quickly. Finally, it got so cold and windy that I couldn't take it anymore and I headed over to the gym at the Shipyard to pound out some miles on the Treadmill there.
Before leaving my apartment I loaded up my iPod with new mixes from RockmyRun, anything to help pass the time. No offense, but workouts can get pretty monotonous when running in the same place staring out the window. As I settled in to a comfortable pace I decided on my plan to run 5 miles at a decreasing pace with a mile on each end to warm up and cool down. The first mile felt good and I decided to add in some incline bursts to each of the fast miles. Having the computer to do all the pacing work makes zoning out or tuning into my music so much easier. I am currently in a fight with my running watch and can't seem to ever get a good pace read off of it so it was nice to hit a button and know that my pace was constant. Knowing that I was running at a constant speed let me analyze if I could be going faster or pushing harder on each burst.
As I got into mile 4 and mile 5 the old running buddy, Doubt, started to surface. A run on a treadmill isn't only a workout of the legs but a can be a major test of will power since the urge to reach forward and tap the speed button can be irresistible. Instead of lowering the speed I tried adding in some incline, figuring that if I could run that pace with 3% grade for 0.2 miles than it would feel easier for the rest of the mile. Though it took a bit of restraint I finished my workout with more challenge than I had set out to do. I really enjoyed being able to run at any pace I chose, and let the belt carry me forward. It was a relief not to have to worry about traffic, slush, spray, ice and snow as well.
In closing, Treadmill, thank you for pushing me and my perceived limits. Though you encourage that little piece of me that says, "quit, quit!" you also push the part of me that says, "go harder! go faster!" You don't deserve all the bad press that is out there, runners know that there is a time and place for you and are happy that you exist. Though I don't see myself breaking any half marathon records by running on you for 13.1 miles (that's batshit stuff), I do see many more interval workouts in our future together.
Thanks again,
L
I wanted to write you this letter to say thanks for being part of my running/training team. I know you often end up with a bad wrap and I wanted to put out there that I really do appreciate you and I wanted to tell you about a recent workout of mine.
This winter has been pretty interesting for me. I packed up my flip flops and dug out my snow boots for a few cold months in Rhode Island. I started training for a May marathon in January and it was going pretty well until it started snowing and just wouldn't stop. With snow banks rebuilding at least once a weeks the sidewalks were barely clear(ish) for any amount of time and the roads weren't much better. Though running on ice can make the miles slip by, (see what I did there? Ice. Slip) it doesn't do a whole lot for pace runs or long distance runs.
The other issue we have been having is the temperature outside. Though we feel clever when we can talk about running as many miles as degrees Fahrenheit that gets old pretty quickly. Finally, it got so cold and windy that I couldn't take it anymore and I headed over to the gym at the Shipyard to pound out some miles on the Treadmill there.
Before leaving my apartment I loaded up my iPod with new mixes from RockmyRun, anything to help pass the time. No offense, but workouts can get pretty monotonous when running in the same place staring out the window. As I settled in to a comfortable pace I decided on my plan to run 5 miles at a decreasing pace with a mile on each end to warm up and cool down. The first mile felt good and I decided to add in some incline bursts to each of the fast miles. Having the computer to do all the pacing work makes zoning out or tuning into my music so much easier. I am currently in a fight with my running watch and can't seem to ever get a good pace read off of it so it was nice to hit a button and know that my pace was constant. Knowing that I was running at a constant speed let me analyze if I could be going faster or pushing harder on each burst.
As I got into mile 4 and mile 5 the old running buddy, Doubt, started to surface. A run on a treadmill isn't only a workout of the legs but a can be a major test of will power since the urge to reach forward and tap the speed button can be irresistible. Instead of lowering the speed I tried adding in some incline, figuring that if I could run that pace with 3% grade for 0.2 miles than it would feel easier for the rest of the mile. Though it took a bit of restraint I finished my workout with more challenge than I had set out to do. I really enjoyed being able to run at any pace I chose, and let the belt carry me forward. It was a relief not to have to worry about traffic, slush, spray, ice and snow as well.
In closing, Treadmill, thank you for pushing me and my perceived limits. Though you encourage that little piece of me that says, "quit, quit!" you also push the part of me that says, "go harder! go faster!" You don't deserve all the bad press that is out there, runners know that there is a time and place for you and are happy that you exist. Though I don't see myself breaking any half marathon records by running on you for 13.1 miles (that's batshit stuff), I do see many more interval workouts in our future together.
Thanks again,
L
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