So today I worked from home. Why did I work from home you ask? Was it to get a head start on the day? No. Was it to work without interruption? No. Did it have anything to do with work at all? No, no it didn't. I worked from home because today was the first chance I would have in several weeks to run at above freezing temps (i.e. 33 degrees), and I wanted to take advantage. That is the definition of a NJ runner, I'd say.
I have actually been doing quite a bit of treadmill running. If you know me, you know I think treadmills <<<<<< death, however, the limited daylight hours combined with the polar vortex that is this NJ winter is making them pretty much unavoidable. I don't like treadmills for an obvious and less obvious reason. The obvious, universal reason is that it makes time pass SOOOO SLOOOOOW. I just sit there watching each hundredth of a mile pass at a snails pace.
The less obvious reason is that I'm a little bit terrified of falling lol. I fell doing sprints on a treadmill about a year ago and scraped up my legs. I'm not a fan of that kind of pain (blisters and chafing, i.e. slow pain i can handle). So now I have a slight fear of it happening again.
Anyway, I am realizing there are some benefits to treadmill running too. First of all, when I get tired outside I only have to stop running, stop putting one foot in front of the other. However, when tired on a treadmill, I must make a conscious decision to turn the treadmill off. I find that it takes a lot less willpower to keep going on the treadmill than it does to keep going outside. Also, you can watch tv while running on the treadmill, which is nice (I guess). But what I really like is this:
http://www.hillrunner.com/training/tmillchart.php
I always run at a 2% incline because I know that treadmill running is easier than outdoor running. This chart explains it as wind resistance but I actually think it has more to do with propelling yourself forward. When you run outside, at the end of each stride you must propel yourself forward by pushing off the ground. However on a treadmill the moving belt does this for you; it drags your foot backwards. Of course running outside also usually introduces some type of hill work, however minimal. Anyway, any and all of these things make treadmill running easier, and thus I run at an incline. My friend sent me this chart the other day and according to it I am actually overcompensating for the lack of resistance. I have been training harder without realizing it :o). And it is starting to show! Today I ran my "long" run outside and though it felt like a relatively easy pace (as long runs should), it actually was quite speedy for me. So though I hate to admit it, I think the treadmill running is actually helping me work on pace.
Another fun site a friend sent me (every runner needs friends like mine... or to follow this blog I suppose lol) is this:
http://tazrunning.com/SelectRace
It customizes your race pace by mile according to the course elevation of the specific race you are running. Of course you would probably need to put a lot of sharpie on your arm barring a photographic memory. (No you don't! They thought of everything: http://tazrunning.com/PaceTattoos/)
Happy running!
I have actually been doing quite a bit of treadmill running. If you know me, you know I think treadmills <<<<<< death, however, the limited daylight hours combined with the polar vortex that is this NJ winter is making them pretty much unavoidable. I don't like treadmills for an obvious and less obvious reason. The obvious, universal reason is that it makes time pass SOOOO SLOOOOOW. I just sit there watching each hundredth of a mile pass at a snails pace.
Anyway, I am realizing there are some benefits to treadmill running too. First of all, when I get tired outside I only have to stop running, stop putting one foot in front of the other. However, when tired on a treadmill, I must make a conscious decision to turn the treadmill off. I find that it takes a lot less willpower to keep going on the treadmill than it does to keep going outside. Also, you can watch tv while running on the treadmill, which is nice (I guess). But what I really like is this:
http://www.hillrunner.com/training/tmillchart.php
I always run at a 2% incline because I know that treadmill running is easier than outdoor running. This chart explains it as wind resistance but I actually think it has more to do with propelling yourself forward. When you run outside, at the end of each stride you must propel yourself forward by pushing off the ground. However on a treadmill the moving belt does this for you; it drags your foot backwards. Of course running outside also usually introduces some type of hill work, however minimal. Anyway, any and all of these things make treadmill running easier, and thus I run at an incline. My friend sent me this chart the other day and according to it I am actually overcompensating for the lack of resistance. I have been training harder without realizing it :o). And it is starting to show! Today I ran my "long" run outside and though it felt like a relatively easy pace (as long runs should), it actually was quite speedy for me. So though I hate to admit it, I think the treadmill running is actually helping me work on pace.
Another fun site a friend sent me (every runner needs friends like mine... or to follow this blog I suppose lol) is this:
http://tazrunning.com/SelectRace
It customizes your race pace by mile according to the course elevation of the specific race you are running. Of course you would probably need to put a lot of sharpie on your arm barring a photographic memory. (No you don't! They thought of everything: http://tazrunning.com/PaceTattoos/)
Happy running!
