Running on the Treadmill

I'm thinking of importing my facebook run reflections to this blog...  Just putting that out there...

Regardless...  this blog, as you can tell from the title, is about running on the treadmill.

I'm not sure how to deal with it exactly.

The deal is this.  I hate running when it's hot outside (it's not today).  I enjoy running in the cold.  When it's hot, forget it.  I switch to cycling or swimming.  Or I run on the treadmill.

I also run on the treadmill on days like today - when the only chance I'll get to take a run is during Michael's lunch.  I pack up the little girl and my stuff and head on base to the drill hall.  Michael hangs out with the munchkin and I get a run in on a very nice treadmill.

The treadmill and I have a love/hate relationship of sorts.

Love:

-  Temperature control
-  Television
-  Knowledge of speed, pace, and heart-rate at my fingertips
-  Seeing lots of other people working out around me to spurn me on and keep me motivated as I go
-  Mindlessness - no watching for traffic, no thinking about a route plan, just brainless running and deep thinking.
-  Lack of allergens

Hate:

-  I get a little motion sick because I'm moving and the world around me is..well...staying quite still.
-  Television
-  Watching those numbers tick by on my mileage is agony.  Running goes much faster out of doors.
-  No change of scenery.  Walls.  Mirrors.  Sweaty dude next to you and skinny chick with rock hard abs in front of you at the nautilus machine.
-  Travel.  You can't just jaunt out the door for a run.  You have to get in the car and go to the gym...unless you have the luxury of a treadmill at home, which we do not.


All things considered it's a pretty even race between the two of them.

Some days, I adore the treadmill - especially when the nice person at the drill hall has the TV on something besides Fox News and CNN - like...Discovery.  I learned a lot one day about how adrenaline works and an old woman lifted up a car to save a child beneath.

Other days I loathe it.  I wish I were out of doors instead of watching the red numerals screaming at me to go faster so I can get off the darn thing and do something interesting.