I have had many treadmill phases in my running life and it’s hard to remember whether or not I truly ever enjoyed running on the treadmill. Since training for the B&A Marathon started, it makes sense to run outside as often as possible to be best prepared for whatever weather comes my way March 1. I’ve now survived running in single digit temperatures (though not often) and happily ran through snow, but there are some circumstances I am just not ready to endure. Pouring down rain is one of them and roads that resemble ice skating rinks are another. What are you willing to run through?
There is a Monday night Pilates class at the gym that I love and I recently started going a tad earlier to put in a quick three miles on the treadmill before class. Other than simply running, I’ve never done much in the way of sprint or interval training so I thought treadmill running would be a good way to introduce those controlled runs to my workout. The first time I did it, I ran at the pace I wanted but definitely did not enjoy it. I was utterly distracted by the seven TV screens at just the wrong angle to be watched comfortably, felt slightly self-conscious about the heavy thump my shoes seemed to make on the treadmill platform, and simply missed the solitude of the road.
It’s not like I’ve never run on a treadmill before. In fact, it recently dawned on me that we had a treadmill in our house growing up. I was trying to remember how long I’ve been running and all of a sudden I had a vague memory of running on a treadmill in my parent’s bedroom and always being amazed at how it never fell through the floor. I know there was a radio with a stereo that would automatically play both sides of a tape for you—what a great invention!—and there may have even been a small TV at one point where I might’ve watched Mary Tyler Moore while running. (Loved, loved Nick at Night!) I also recall that treadmill eventually being moved to the cement floored, usually cold basement and though I think I probably ran a few times down there, that’s probably when my early treadmill days came to a halt.
Now I am trying once again to come to terms with the fact that some days running will just have to be done indoors. I think the ticket is to hit the gym at the crack of dawn when there are very few people on the surrounding machines so as to keep some semblance of the solitude of running. Due to the fact that I do not yet have a perfect running playlist on my Ipod, music is unfortunately not enough to distract me from being so acutely aware of running in place. However, I do believe that listening to the local news does the trick. Looking at the TV is not an ideal option for fear that my neck will remain crooked so I have to focus on listening while staring ahead at the wall and before I know it “Variety Mode” has me running hills and the miles add up.
Just like anything, the treadmill deserves a second chance. It’s all a state of mind anyhow. But won’t it be glorious when spring arrives and there is no excuse not to run outside?
