By my account (aka my Google spreadsheet), I first made the transition to the treadmill on Dec. 30 – right about the time the temperatures here took a turn for the single digits. Since then, I've ran 10 times and been outside three times. THREE. Flip it around, I've ran on the treadmill 70 percent of the time.
I don't mind it. I don't get crazy bored. I don't feel like less of a runner for choosing to go inside. I didn't even consider my "street cred" when the conditions were slick and the wind chills dipped to -30.
The one thing that doesn't give me pause is that when I plan a run, I don't even consider going outside anymore. When I decide to run, I immediately pack my stuff in my Apera gym bag. I think of what my mileage goal will be and what kind of workout I will do – though I do use the term workout loosely. I think of paces in mph and settings, not time.
It's like I've forgotten how to run outside.
But I know it will change. Experience tells me it will. Come spring, likely after the baby is born, I will think of trails and routes when I plan. I will factor in temperature and rain. I will get excited when the lilacs bloom and even driving by, I will picture myself running alongside them, the sweet fragrance filling my lungs.
And, the thought of the treadmill will once again make me nauseous.
Note: I will have a sponsored-type post up later. Feel free to skip it.
Well .. as you know I love my treadmill times a MILLION. Okay .. not really. But I do run on it times a million. 95% of my weekday mileage is done on my lunch break at work. I can save myself a good 10-15 minutes just by running inside rather than walking to get on the trail. Said trail isn't know to be 100% safe to run alone on in the middle of the day when there isn't a ton of traffic. So it's also for a safety reason. I guess the last reason is that I don't mind the treadmill. Here in Utah it's pretty cold in the Winter (sometimes snowy) and SUPER hot in the summer. We're actually high desert, not a lot of people know this. But my long runs are ALWAYS outside. We pay my sister in law to come every Saturday morning so my husband and I can head out. This started with this marathon cycle. But I think it's something I'd like to keep up with even after. I agree with you though, treadmill running should affect street credit. At the end of the day I'm still racing the same race as those people who trained outside. And ultimately the treadmill is more a convenience thing than anything else, it's how I squeeze it in. I've never NOT gone on a run due to any kind of outside conditions. I take that back, if there are several inches of fresh snow I would prefer not to sludge through it.
ReplyDeleteConvenience and safety are good reasons to run inside! If I run at lunch, it's easier to run outside because I can hit the trail in a quarter-mile or so and I'd have to drive to a gym to use the treadmill. I would be IN LOVE if our building had a gym but it's been made quite clear that despite having the space for it, there is no chance.
DeleteMy big issue is that in the early mornings I can't tell whether the roads are icy and where the bad spots are.
And I so get the childcare thing. I might keep my Saturday runs at the Y, at least on occasion, because it means I can go with Mark and Miles is in childwatch.