My FaceBook status  this past Wednesday read – 

It was in the low 60s outside and the sun was shining brightly and I was on the treadmill running. A tragedy. 

But unlike others who hate the treadmill, I embrace it. 

When I first started running, I ran on the treadmill exclusively. Yes, I had taken a mad leap by signing up for a half marathon as my first race, but I was like a beached whale, 190lbs, size 16, nursing my almost 1 year old (we all know what nursing does to certain parts of the body!) – very very conscious of my body. And so I was definitely not going to be running out on the streets huffing and puffing and dying!

Even when I got used to running outside and being confident, the entirety of weekday training runs for my first marathon was done on the treadmill while watching the ‘Spirit of the Marathon’ countless times. I was working at a job that had weird timings, a husband who travelled Monday through Thursday and 2 little ones at home. So the treadmill in my basement was my BRF. 

Although my minions are grown up enough to be in school, I still take recourse to the treadmill because my run time is usually early morning when it is dark outside and I don’t have anyone to run with me. 

I’m sharing some of my simple treadmill running tips that has let me have a 5 year relationship with my treadmill. 

1. Don’t call it the “DREADMILL”

How can you have a meaningful relationship with someone if you start off by calling them names? Calling it the dreadmill is not doing you any favors, it is teaching to you to dread it even before you start off on it.  

2. Entertain yourself

TV Shows, movies, books, music, whatever floats your boat. That first marathon training was made possible by countless watchings of The Spirit of the Marathon. My recent binge watching was Doctor Who and now, Once Upon a Time. Time runs by super quickly when your mind is occupied.

3. Embrace the inevitable

You are looking at the treadmill because you don’t have any other alternative. What if there wasn’t a treadmill to run on either? That would drive me more crazy than having to run on the treadmill. So embrace the inevitable and just get it over with. Your ultimate goal is sticking to your training plan and anything that helps you do that should be your BRF. 

Do you run on the treadmill or are you an exclusive outdoors runner?
If you run on the treadmill, what is your preference to be distracted – music or tv or something else? What is the latest you’ve been watching or hearing on the treadmill?

I’m joining the Tuesdays on the Run LinkUp with Patty from My No-Guilt Life, Erika from MCM Mama Runs and April from Run the Great Wide Somewhere for today’s topic on Treadmill Workouts. Check out other treadmill tips from other bloggers in the linkUp.

 

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