Dreading the Dreadmill

Good old man winter has put a damper on outdoor running this last week.  I haven’t been able to safely run solo outside since last weekend and the only way I can keep up on my mileage while training for the Fifth Third River Bank Run 25K is to hop on the DREADMILL.  With three dreadmill workouts under my belt for the week, I am NOT looking forward to a fourth anytime soon.  

What exactly is this ‘dreadmill’ I speak of?

DREADMILL (/dred/ /mil/) noun:  a modern torture device designed to move runners nowhere as fast (or slow) as they please.

I approach the dreadmill as matter-of-fact as I can.  “Just do it.”  With my workout or speed drills mapped out, I stuff a towel into one cup holder and my water bottle full of Cherry Lime Energy NUUN into the other.  Setting my phone to one of my playlists, I dial in my warm up pace and say a little prayer that the other dreadmills don’t fill up and I have to cut my workout short.  (Like most fitness facilities, the YMCA has a limit on treadmill time if they are all in use...a mere 20 minutes.)  

Granted, my winter training plan does include two treadmill runs a week, averaging between three and six miles.  My intention was to do mostly speed work during my treadmill runs and as a warm up for my PIlates classes.  I have found these distances to be tolerable when the televisions at my YMCA are locked on ESPN Sport Center or CNN and with only subtitles available.  Ugh.  There has been no better excuse to crank up my music on my iPhone and jam in my earbuds (I stopped road running with music this summer to improve my cadence.)  Having recently discovered a few pod casts has help tremendously...even though my fellow treadmillers are rather startled when I bust out laughing.  Who on earth laughs while on a treadmill in the middle of an 800m?   Oh wait...me.  

To be fair, there are some things I enjoy about my indoor running routines.  It allows me to concentrate on my running form and posture.  Speed and incline are under my complete control.  I don’t have to check current wind chill and radar conditions to determine just how many layers to wear.  And, perhaps most importantly, it allows me to still run.

Normally, I wouldn’t let freezing temperatures and some snow keep me from pounding the pavement.  This is my third Michigan winter I’ve run outside and I have never felt more prepared to meet the challenges I will face.  Unfortunately, the wind chills, whiteout conditions and lake effect snow have made running outside perilous to even a seasoned runner.  The lack of visibility combined with my experience of near-misses while running on the streets of my town have taught me to err on the side of caution.  (ex:  I was almost hit by a truck at dusk while wear a blindingly bright pink reflective jacket and being light up like a Christmas tree.)  

So, tomorrow, I will trudge up to my ‘favorite’ dreadmill, step up, and just get it done.  And then back to the great outdoors!

Tick Tock Tick: Time to Get to Fixing

Time...a measure of duration and intervals...an ordering of events, past, present, and future…  As a runner, the value of this abstract measure is priceless.  Speedwork, training, tempos, personal records, pace, time goals, finding the space in my hectic life to dedicate to a long or short run...the list goes on and on.  But ‘time’ by itself is only the measure I allow it to be and I’ve been letting it get away from me.

As Lauren Fleshman said, “Time fixes nothing. Time is a facilitator but you still have to do the fixing; Dig into the difficult conversations; Look hard at yourself in the mirror and ask if you’re doing everything you can do to get healthy. If you aren’t currently living the life you want, there is no other way to get there. Time won’t make it happen. So you can either adjust the goal, or give yourself a swift kick in the ass. Those are your only two options unless you enjoy the feeling of eternal tug of war.” (see more on her latest blog post here.)  

It seemed as if Lauren Fleshman had been hanging out in my brain these last few weeks...because this was basically what I have been telling myself!  

2014 was a year of many ups and downs, as well as a heck of a lot of growth.  The weeks following Christmas and New Years are typically times of reflection and contemplation.  I don’t make resolutions...that just doesn’t work for me.  I prefer to look back at my actions and reactions, seeing what worked and what didn’t, then readjust for the future.  (Ironically, most of my reflections occur while I’m running.)

In 2014, I had set two major goals for myself: 1) run four half marathons and 2) run 1000 miles.  And I did both.  I trained hard and raced even harder, sometimes pushing too hard and ending up with mild injuries.  Overall, my training worked for me: running three to four times a week with a mix of long runs, tempo runs, and speed work.  My speed, pace, and running form improved from the beginning of the year, and I set new personal records for my 5K, 10K, and half marathon times.   

My race schedule...not so much.  Three half marathons and a 25K in eleven weeks left me ready for a break from long distances.  Add in a hefty handful of 5Ks and a few 10Ks, and my weekends were consumed with running all summer long.  Autumn came out of nowhere, leading me back to my classroom with no sign of my racing or hectic schedule letting up (and squeezing in one more half marathon the weekend of my brother’s wedding).  Stresses and pressures accumulated and weighed me down, pushing me off balance.  I reacted by pushing back...and pushing myself even harder.  So I have ended 2014 with a nasty case of shin splints and the realization that I need to get down to ‘fixing.’

 

Fixing My Race Schedule:

Celebrating all 1000 miles of 2014

I am promising myself to limit the number of ‘big races’ I do this year.  I have my sights set on two races: the Fifth Third River Bank Run 25K and my first marathon.  There are time goals I have in mind for both of these races...realistic but lofty.  I am still going to race local 5Ks and 10Ks, only being more selective about them.  If I’m feeling good, perhaps I will snag a last minute bib in a few half marathons as training runs.  As much as I love racing, I don’t want to overload my weekends with races like I did last year...it wasn’t fair for me to monopolize so much of the summer weekends with races.

Training Smarter, Not Harder:

Cross training is a weak point in my training.  Until recently, Pilates had been my only form of cross training (other than shoveling all last winter!).  My mission is to incorporate more stretching, strength training, and cycling into my training along with my Pilates.  A lovely fellow Oiselle runner gave me a Believe training journal and a pair of wings.  What I love the most about my training journal is that it has reflection and accountability built into it.  

As far as running, I am incredibly fortunate several veteran runners are helping me with my training schedule for my marathon.  I also have found a few running partners whose pace and running philosophy match mine.  My support system, the web of my running family, is extending, reweaving, and coming back stronger than ever.  

Time to Get to Fixing!

Now...time is needed.  Not to sit and wait.  Not to allow others to do the work for me.  Not simply wish my dreams and goals come true.  Now is the time for action.  Time for ME to get to ‘fixing’ and make this happen for me.  

And I can’t wait to get started...