Treadmill running
Probably like many runners I have a real love/hate relationship with the treadmill. I don’t own one, though my children have asked me often is I want one for my birthday or Christmas. I don’t love the treadmill that much, and why waste a precious present on an item that, at times, I loath? Nope presents should be for the fun stuff!
As a runner in New England I see the treadmill as a necessary evil. The roads and sidewalks in the town I live in are rarely plowed adequately enough and no one feels responsible for clearing sidewalks in front of their houses so an outdoor run can be treacherous and dangerous. I do not want to injure myself slipping on the ice or getting hit by a car (don’t laugh…it happens!) So, inside running is a must if I want to keep up with my training.
The irony is I will find myself getting used to running on the treadmill in the comfort of regulated temperatures and pacing. I enjoy seeing the people who go to the gym at the same time I go and the solitude of training with headphones on and no worries of cars or unexpected obstacles. When it will be time to return to the great outdoors I will find myself missing the gym. WHAT? I know it is crazy but that is the love part of the love/hate relationship.
The hate part is easy. The treadmill is b-o-r-i-n-g. Even with new music on my iPod, TV on the machines and the ability to regulate my pace so I am not stopping at intersections or encountering tree roots and potholes I find the monotony mind numbing. I find it difficult to think about anything other than how bored I am. When I do occasionally get caught up in a story in my head or working out a work problem I do find that the time on the treadmill passes more quickly. But usually I am so easily distracted and my eyes wander to the time and mileage that the machine is recording right in front of me that I am reminded how difficult running on a machine really can be.
I try to remind myself that learning to deal with this monotony will be beneficial to my running goals. I used to tell my friends that I would never do a 1/2 marathon because I thought it would just be too boring; running mile after mile after mile. But after doing my first 1/2 marathon I realized I was wrong. While there were monotonous moments the thrill of running with so many other people and the scenery of the route helped move me along. And during those few boring miles between mile 7 and 10 I learned that all that training on the treadmill had really prepared me for more than just the run; it prepared me for those moments in running where you have to deal with your head and all the thoughts or non-thoughts that run through it.
So perhaps after another season of training on the treadmill the love will out-balance the hate equation of the treadmill workout.
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