When I made the decision to start running again after a 4 month sabatical, I thought I would be starting at square one again. I loathed the idea of starting at a mile and increasing my mileage only 10% each week. I remember how long it took me to reach 3 miles in a single run the first time and I dreaded that slow progress again. But I have been pleasantly surprised. According to my muscles, 4 months isn't that long. The muscle memory is definately still there and building back up much faster than before. But my strength is defied by what I see in the mirror. How can this fat girl looking back at me run 5 miles at a stretch and still be so strong?
Right now rather than sticking to a hard and fast training program, I am simply following my body. I set a mileage and try to get there, if I can. Sometimes I feel great and I can run a few extra miles and sometimes I just barely make it through the miles I need to. But my progress is going well. Better than expected actually. And hopefully, the fit girl will return over the next few months and take her rightful place in the mirror once again.
I've been running on the dreaded treadmill for the past couple weeks due to the cold weather. I am hoping for a few more outdoor runs before the snow actually hits the ground, but I really don't like to run when it is below 40 degrees. And being that it is almost January and this is the upper midwest, who knows if I'll actually get anymore outdoor runs in for a few months.
So I am left with my only other option, the treadmill. Which I hate it for several reasons. Here they are in no particular order:
1. Have you ever watched a hamster on a wheel and thought what a waste of time? That is how I feel on the treadmill. I'm not going anywhere. I feel like I am missing out on the experience of running when I'm on the treadmill. Part of why I love running is that it makes you very aware of your surroundings. When you're out running in nature this is a great bonus. When your stuck on a hamster wheel, it is a huge negative.
2. Mirrors. Seriously? Why do gyms feel the need to put mirrors 2 feet in front of the treadmill? I can understand why they are near the weights...check your form and all that. But when I'm on the treadmill, all I see is the red faced, sweaty, fat girl staring back at me. And all I can see in her eyes is "Please make this stop!" The truth is, when I run I feel invincible. I feel like I look amazing. So to be confronted by the reality of what I actually look like is startling. I'd rather cling to illusion that I look like a svelt olympian barely breaking a sweat. But the treadmill shatters these illusions, quite rudely.
3. Calorie counters. Ack. I'm pretty sure the calorie counters on the treadmills at my gym are broken. There is no way it takes that many miles to work off a cheeseburger!
4. Emergency stop button. Really? If you're being flung from the treadmill do you really need the treadmill to stop after you have been flung from it? Have you ever actually seen anyone attach the emergency stop clip to themselves. They only thing they are good for is accidently erasing your progress or maybe it is just me. Occassionally, when I get the end of a long run on the treadmill my form tends to get flung out the window. As I'm trying to finish my last quarter mile, my arms get a little wild and every once in a while I hit the emergency stop button by accident...the placement is less than ideal! And if you've never done it, let me assure you it's not fun and it will make you look like an instant. When you hit the emergency stop, the conveyor does just that...it stops. The unforunate thing is that you don't. So you run right into the control panel. When this happens, the best you can do is look around to make sure that no one saw you (even though you're sure every one did) and do some quick stretching...try to play it off like you meant to stop (again, even though everyone knows it was a accident...a hilarious accident).
But when faced with the reality of treadmill running, winter running in the freezing cold or not running at all, I'll choose the treadmill everytime. As much as I hate it, I hate not running even more. So next time your at the gym and you see the sweaty, fat girl running on the treadmill in front of the mirror, give her a smile of encouragement or a little thumbs up. Most likely, when facing the reality of what she looks like while running, she needs it!
Today's workout = 30 minutes bike, 30 minutes walking: 100 workout & ab workout
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