Confessions of a treadmill lover
New post at The Running Bug, ‘Confessions of a treadmill lover‘.
You just can’t beat getting out into the fresh air for a run, especially when you are fortunate enough to live so close to some cracking forest trails and to an old railway line that takes you right out into the countryside far from any traffic. The chances of spotting any wildlife from the treadmill are also considerably less save for the errant spider that occasionally makes its presence known!
When it comes to the weather, I take it as it comes as far as running is concerned.
Rain: I love running in the rain. Just as well given that I live in Scotland! Some of my favourite races (The 55 mile Cateran Trail Ultra in May of this year springs to mind) have been run fully or partly in torrential rain conditions. What I do hate however, is starting a race in the rain and this is especially true when it involves a great deal of standing about waiting for the designated start time, getting increasingly wet.
Snow: You just can’t beat the extra tough workout that running on snow provides. Even better, strap a head torch on and head out for a night time run in the snow. The ‘warp speed’ light effect is mesmerising! (If you don’t know what I mean, try it for yourself one snowy night. The way the weather is going, you will not have too long to wait for the opportunity to do so!)
Sun: funnily enough this is my least favoured running condition, most likely due to my size and propensity to sweat. However, as long as the temperature is not too high, or as long as there is an accompanying cooling breeze, this is probably everyone’s favoured weather condition. Hopefully my recent weight loss will help to reduce the sweating.
At this point, I am going to throw in a curve ball. Having extolled the benefits of getting out for a run, regardless of the weather, it is time for a confession – I like treadmill running. There, said it.
I know that many people probably rate this on a par with some hideous torture but sometimes you just cannot beat the treadmill.
There is, as far as I am concerned, a time and a place for the treadmill and that is why I was quite so gutted when my trusty treadmill stopped working at the beginning of September. After 3 and a half years of loyal service my treadmill was no more!
That alone would have been bad enough but add in to the mix that this was accompanied by some of the crappiest weather in a long time and came at the start of the month in which I had pledged to run at least 5 miles every day. To say that the timing of this was somewhat off would be an understatement.
Looking back, I am surprised it lasted as long as it did. Unlike many home treadmills, this one saw regular and often brutal use. I even did a 4 hour training run on it one day, something I would likely never repeat under circumstances short of house arrest! However, at the time, it was really convenient and, if I recall correctly, it was so that I could kill two birds with one stone by getting a long run in whilst watching the F1!
It has been almost two months now and, faced with the prospect of getting a run in every day of both November and December (Movember & Marcothon), I finally gave in and ordered a replacement machine which I am looking forward to taking delivery of on Monday.
Over the past two months I have done a considerable amount or running outside, come rain or shine, including 25 days in September. As I look to build on this and to bag not one but two complete months of winter running, I will be so glad to be able to step on to the treadmill.
It will be good not to have to layer up each and every day, with its huge impact on the laundry. It will be good to fit in quick runs, grabbed at short notice with no preparation whatsoever. It will be good to keep a steady pace (and indeed to push the pace) knowing that the treadmill will ensure there is no slacking off on those days where I feel lethargic. It will be good to jump on the treadmill, switch on the trance music, and switch off the brain, safe in the knowledge that I can just run without fear of tripping on roots or rocks or whatever!
It will, once again, be so good to have a treadmill there for me, at my beck and call, when I just don’t have the time or the desire to face the elements.
Read about the pros and cons of Training on a Treadmill.