Me vs. The Machine

This is the view from the treadmill where I do most of my so-called training these days. I'm not sure why I was so opposed to running on treadmills for years, but I've developed a pretty good relationship with the machine lately.

I seem to be more prone to injury when I run in cold temperatures. In fact, I'm pretty certain the distance team had twice as many injuries during the really bad winters when we were forced to run on half shoveled sidewalks for weeks and wear 3 layers of clothing before walking out the door.

Why was the treadmill never really an option? Were people sneaking in treadmill workouts wearing a disguise to avoid the harsh judgment they might face by members of the distance squad?

To be fair, I doubt treadmills in 96 had the TV monitors connected to them and I definitely didn't own an iPhone loaded with podcasts, audio books, and songs purchased for 99 cents. Even with all these entertainment options, I still find myself bored after 10-15 minutes. Luckily I discovered some entertaining podcasts that will hopefully distract me enough for the next 4-6 weeks until it gets warmer and I can run 20-30 min. without shin or knee pain.

Milestones

I've had a couple of breakthroughs recently, so I thought I would share them here. No, I don't have any races or workouts to report newfound strength or speed. These milestones are more like a change in mindset.

First, I have been running in sub 35 degree weather... in shorts. Something happened to me after college. If it was under 45 degrees, I would dress for running like I was going ice fishing. I actually thought that age causes you to have less tolerance of cold temperatures. Recently, I have changed my attitude about running. I don't have the same level of dread when I have to go against something that is somewhat uncomfortable. I don't know what this really means, but I thought it was worth reporting here.

The other milestone, is that I've broken one of Jason's new Rules for three weeks in a row. I've run more than 30 miles each of those weeks. I'm approaching running differently than Jason these days. He wants to see how fast he can be on less than 30 miles a week. I know that if I attempt that, I will get hurt. I have realized that my body reacts better to running slower and longer than shorter and faster. So although I've increased my mileage, I've really had to let go of my ego. Especially on these many mornings where I've been running on a treadmill in the gym amongst the competitive soccer moms.