Thursday, January 16th, 2014: "Freezing My Butt Off" *or* "The Biggest Idiot Ever."

Okay, so I promise I actually have updated since October. I *tried* to post about my most recent Tough Mudder run, but I accidentally was logged into my Blogger account for my short story blog, Cut and Dry. So my most recent running post is there, as I am too tired at the moment to move it onto this blog. 

Not only that, why would I move an older post when I am now creating a fresh, NEW post!  

This concludes the "Biggest Idiot Ever" portion of the post. 

As for the "Freezing My Butt Off" portion: anyone living pretty much anywhere east of Texas and north of the Florida panhandle know what I'm talking about. America has been downright cold as of late, and I have only gotten the opportunity to run outside twice in the last month.  

And not only that, I'm starting to see the result of all the time I took off of running in the fall while I was perpetually ill. Like, around my waist line.  

So I've tackled my old nemesis, the treadmill, twice this week. In case you're unaware on my stance on treadmills, I described in an earlier post how much I'd rather be pounding some concrete that moving on a motorized belt. But, as I'm finding out, sometimes an outdoor run is just out of the question. I've not logged more than 4 miles at a time on the treadmill yet (I get bored easily, and my willpower runs out fast when I'm able to stop whenever I want without the penalty of having to run home), but I find myself getting a little better. At least I think I am, which is something. 

On a more exciting note, I recently got an email about the Kentucky Half Classic, two half marathons in Kentucky's two most beautiful cities, 21 days apart. I was actually already registered for the Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon and the Kentucky Derby Festival Mini-Marathon, so this came as a nice surprise! 

Tons of cool amenities will be given to people who finish both races! 

- A special finisher medal (in addition to the two medals for both races) 

- Half Classic food and drink booths and photo ops 

- Stickers for your race bib 

- And... most importantly... VIP TOILETS!! (This was a huge selling point for me, as I found the Kentucky Derby Festival Half in Louisville to be very short on port-o-potties). 

They're both phenomenal races, worth entering on their own merit. But the added incentive is simply too cool to pass up. 

On a serious note: I am seriously going to get back into this blog. I'm not sure how many fledgling runners out there I am actually helping, but keeping track of my running trials and errors is what keeps me on the road. When my blogging slacks off, my running slacks off, and vice versa. Even if I feel like dirt and have a crappy run, writing about it makes me want to get back out there and have a better run to make up for it. 

Not to mention that I have been blessed far beyond what I deserve, and sitting around being sedentary is no way to show my appreciation. I have a wonderful relationship with Hillary and the girls, and I've gotten to see a lot of them while work crews have been tearing out both the bathrooms in my house (it;s a long, messy story). 

Yes, the January is cold and dark, and usually my winter depression sits in about now. But I have these two bad boys to help me through. 

Sun lamp and space heater. With their powers combined... I am... a functioning human being! Oh, and the electric guitar behind them helps, too. 

Anyway, I hope this entry find you in good spirits, injury-free, ready to face the next mile. 

Friday, 7/19/13, part 1: Dr. Strangerun, *OR* How I Learned to Stop Sweating it and Hate the Treadmill.

Sometimes, running in the summer sucks.

Afternoon runs are next to impossible, because of heat and humidity.  Night runs are sometimes do-able, but most of the time they're just as hot as the afternoons (especially if you live in a city; concrete holds heat like a brick oven).  For this runner, morning runs are, most of the time, my only option.  

What happens if the sun beats me to the punch, but I'm desperate to get my daily run in? I'm forced to resort to.... 

The treadmill.  

<Dun dun DUUUUNNN> 

You can always tell stock photos of people on treadmills from real pictures of people on treadmills.  No one has ever, EVER, looked that happy while on a treadmill. 

I hate the treadmill.  First of all, I have ADD, and staying in the same place for a long period of time irritates me.  Especially if I have to keep looking in the same direction.  Second, I can't stand the stagnant air that seems to surround a treadmill.  Running outside creates a breeze which helps sweat evaporate, cooling the body. On a treadmill I feel like I'm stewing in my own heat, like a side of roast beef in the oven.  

But the worst is my body's ability to rationalize quitting, because I'm always less than a foot away from where I started.  If I'm running outdoors, I have things to look at to keep my mind occupied. And when I decide to quit, I HAVE to keep running to make it home.  On a treadmill, my brain assails me with a constant barrage of laziness, like, "That's far enough. You should stop now. Isn't your knee a little sore?  Maybe you should call it a day."  

That said, here are my treadmill results from earlier in the week.  

Time:  39:25 

Distance: 4.00 miles 

Pace:  9:51 min/mile 

Incline set at 1.5 to offset the lack of wind resistance 

Now this seems better than it actually was.  I stopped after the first two miles and took a water break, and then did the remaining two miles. 

So yeah, treadmills suck.  But I guess sometimes they're necessary, because of the summer heat.  But, whenever possible, I'm dragging my butt out of bed to get outdoors.

Got any tips, motivational tricks, or other advice that might make me like the treadmill more?  Please share!  I know I'm going to have to use them more often this winter, but I'm still sort of in denial.