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!