treadmill tell-all

joining in with various bloggers (originating here at marcias healthy slice) to post about one of my new favorite things (if you can even imagine!)... running on the treadmill! whoa.

im sure this surprises many of you that i am actually calling the treadmill "one of my new favorite things". trust me when i say i wish it wasnt true. when the weather is above 30 degrees youll find me outside more, but in this damn polar vortex whatever the heck theyre calling it (winter perhaps? its just freaking cold!), ill stay inside thanks. tank tops and shorts fit me much better (and cost way less!) than 800 layers of cold weather fleece everything. but worry not, the crazy girl in me is still there... the gym opens at 4am, and my runs start anywhere between 4 and 430am, just like the summer! (speaking of summer... please come soon, thanks!)

ok so anyway... the treadmill. i dont own one. and if i did, my basement (where it would be) is about as cold as it is outside. so lets not be silly, that wont be happening. i pay $10/month for my gym membership which is 3.1 miles away from my house. i run at the gym approximately 3, maybe 4, months out of the year. i would never spend the money for a treadmill (although i know it has its benefits. but i just wont do it. im sure it would quickly become a clothes dryer and collect dust). 

training for maine coast marathon started jan 6th. since then i have done 9 of the 11 runs on the treadmill, totaling 77 miles. the gym has two different types of treadmills and i have found that i like a certain one over the other. each treadmill has its own tv which helps as a distraction. 

1. What’s your favorite workout to do on a treadmill? hmmm running? i dont (or havent, yet) done any sort of "workout" other than just running. i dont add any incline (im a wimp), and i really dont understand how the different workout options the treadmill has work. i have done a few speedwork workouts on there, which i like because it gives you what your pace is and you just run it. i find that easier than trying to hit speeds out on the road and constantly having to look at your watch.

2. How many miles, on average, do you run on the mill each week?  well since this training for maine coast started, ive averaged 26 miles a week on the treadmill. week 1 of training i ran 33 miles on the tm, week 2 just 26, and this week ive run 18 so far.

3. What was the most mileage you’ve ever completed on the mill in one workout? When? Why? haha i love this question... why?? listen, not everyone hates the treadmill! the most ive ever done on the treadmill was last week when i did 13 miles. and i loved each and every mile! (yes, i know im crazy. we've gone over this before). the workout was 2 miles to warm up at 9:05 pace, 8 miles at goal marathon pace (8:08), 3 miles cool down at 8:57 pace. i felt great the entire time. i brought two gu with me, kept myself hydrated, and wore my new brooks launch shoes that i got last week (nothing like breaking in a new pair of shoes with a 13 mile run!) why did i do this? because it was 0 degrees outside with a wind chill of negative something stupid and i didnt feel like losing any extremeties! maine is cold, yo.

peppermint stick and salted caramel gu... amazing!

(side note: most of the treadmills shut off at 60 minutes so you have to restart them mid workout. some of them, when they shut off at 60 minutes if you press quick start again right away, will continue with where you left off and continue going. but i think i look pretty funny on the ones that shut off and ive already done 7 miles and had one gu and am sweating my ass off and it reads that ive run 1 mile... haha)

4. Do you mill at home, the gym or both? gym. no tm at home. 

5. What distractions or entertainment (if any) do you use to help pass the time? sarah! miles sure do go by faster when she is there to gossip with/talk to. if she isnt there i listen to the kickass marathon playlist ive made on my ipod (complete with christmas music!), and people watching is always a good time. there are people ive seen who read while running on the tm... i would certainly fall off trying to do that.

6. If you have a treadmill at home, what kind is it? How old is it? nope. but lets talk about what one i WOULD get... THIS ONE. ya know, for when i have an extra $4,000 laying around.

7. Do you fuel any differently for a treadmill workout than an outside one? nope. i bring my gu with me, just like a normal run. i feel like i have to go to the bathroom more when im on the treadmill than when im outside though, which is weird.

8. Any treadmill mishaps to report? no but im sure i will eventually. im really not that coordinated.
  
9. Do you mill at incline to compensate for not being outside? nope. and i know i probably should, but whatever. i dont. if i need to go do a hill workout ill do it outside.

10. Describe your perfect (if there is such an animal) treadmill conditions: perfect treadmill conditions? like one that has some hot guy (or girl?) on the machine in front of me? haha... perfect treadmill conditions for us are when there arent a lot of people around us (thats usually not a problem at 4am) so that sarah and i can chat about all the gossip and not annoy anyone around us. we've recently gotten into a problem with one of the gym rats because we have taken over "his" treadmill. dude, what? there are 20 other free treadmills, but youre gonna keep lifting weights until we get off yours? whatever. (and then when he gets on he watches a tv show on his phone, standing on the tm before he starts running). its nice that the treadmills are all situated at the back of the gym against the wall... you can see everything in front of you and just watch people. if it gets too hot (the ventilation at the gym sucks always!) we run in our sports bras. no shame.

**if you havent seen this sweet Zensah giveaway from marcias healthy slice, check it out! i use zensah and pro compression socks and sleeves to recover from all the treadmill miles!