Treadmill - Jog (again!)

Run: 30 minutes at 6 miles per hour

Distance: 3.0 miles

Time: 29:58

Performance Stats (out of 5 )

Legs:    .5

Gut:   .5

Energy:     .5

Mind:     .5

Overall:     

Soundtrack: Pandora, The Crystal Method Radio 

     Back at it again on the good old treadmill. This actually is a good thing. I am planning on taking just a few days to get back into the swing of things, and then there is actually a lot that you can accomplish on a treadmill. I really haven't gotten into the exercise packages that exist in the treadmill computer, but that is going to be one of my goals for the winter. The new treadmills at the gym also allow you to do some degree of incline, so that should pose a nice challenge figuring that out.

     Here are some treadmill rules that I am going to write down mostly for myself, so that I can reference them on occasion, and keep myself healthy and having fun through the winter:

     - Rule #1: Of course this is going to be, watch your speed! Lesson learned last year. Unlike running on the road, when you lock into a speed on the treadmill, your legs have to keep up the pace, or else you fall off the back of the thing. So unlike when you get out three or four miles on the road, and your legs naturally start to slow you down a little if they can't handle the strain, this won't happen on the treadmill. With enough under-training, prior injury, etc. you can end up with a muscle pull or joint injury that can put you down for the count.

- Rule #2: Pick up those shoes from the moving belt. This fits in a little with Rule #1, but it's slightly different. Unlike running on the road, a little drag of the toe might cause you to stumble, but rarely will you fall. On the treadmill, catching that toe can lead to a chain of stumbling events that can shoot you off the back of the thing. I had 2 or 3 little toe grabs on the moving belt today, and believe me, the feeling of going flying is there. I guess it's just "different" from the stumble that you have on the road, and probably once you get used to it, it's not so bad. But in the early days of treadmill training, better to lift the soles of those sneakers up.

- Rule #3: Go easy. This is a whole new way of training. Even if you were doing pretty good on the road and trails going into the winter, treadmill running is a different beast. Take a few runs to get used to the difference, before you start going all out.

- Rule #4: Mix it up. Most runners will tell you, there is nothing more boring than running on a treadmill - both for your mind and for your legs. So, do what you can to create some variety in your morning workouts. Maybe jump on a stair master or an eliptical. Use the built in programs to do cardio or fat burn sessions on the treadmill (whatever those are!). Or, on a nice day with no snow, get out and run on the road and trails again. Revel in the noon time run, something that you would be hard pressed to do in the middle of the summer!

- Rule #5: Just have fun. Remember that's why you are a runner anyway. This might be a different kind of fun than a fall run through the woods, but it still can be fun. Enjoy the folks that you get to say "hi" to at the gym. Enjoy the challenge of setting new time or incline goals. Enjoy watching some of the news on the TVs while you run - can't do that on the road. And most of all, enjoy staying in shape, knowing that you will hit the spring in better condition and with a better start to a new year of running and racing.

Alright treadmills, here we come! That being said, I'm gonna try to get out on the road this weekend :)