Treadmill Miles

I typically do my long run on Sundays but decided to swap things around this week in favor of sleeping in and a leisurely brunch with Jeremy Sunday morning before seeing a 2pm matinee Broadway show with my parents. Brunch is always a priority, my friends.

Of course today I woke up to pouring rain and chilly temperatures. Really, weather? The first day I’m not working and it’s cold out?

I spent all day torturing myself about the miles I knew I had to run, compulsively checking the weather in hopes that it would magically predict sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures. It didn’t. I knew I couldn’t wimp out on this long run, I literally said  I would start taking this half marathon seriously and stop skipping runs for silly reasons.

So I sucked it up and finally headed over to the gym around 4pm to make friends with the dreadmill.

Did it suck? Kind of. If I’m going to be honest, an 8 mile run at 4PM was going to be rough no matter where I did it. BUT I DID IT and that’s what matters.

I definitely wouldn’t ever choose treadmill vs. running outside, although it was nice to have compartments for my water and phone. I now know it is possible to run a lot of miles on the treadmill without going totally mad. I have a feeling this will be a necessary worst case scenario during marathon training.

• Listen to podcasts. I always listen to music when I’m running outside, it’s partially out of habit and partially I like matching my pace to the music #theaternerd4life. On the treadmill  I knew I would easily get bored listening to music, staring at the same view for 1+ hour. I needed something a bit more captivating so I listened to Jillian Michael’s Podcast to pass the time. It definitely made a huge difference. If audio books are your thing, I’m sure that would work too.

• Come in with a plan. I also recommend this for all runs, really, however it’s especially important on the treadmill when you’re going to be tempted to quit. Running outside means I’m usually doing an out and back– there’s no choice except to keep running otherwise I’ll be stranded a few miles away from my apartment.I decided to give myself walking breaks every 2 miles to break up the run, and an extended break halfway through. Thinking about the run as two 4 mile runs made a huge difference mentally and I follow a similar tactic while racing.

• Change up your speed. The focus of this run was obviously to cover a lot of miles, not working on intervals per say. I still decided to switched it up to keep things interesting. I’d run 1.5 miles at a 5.8-6.0 pace and then bump it up to 6.5 or 6.7 for the final half a mile before my walking break. There was something really satisfying about reaching the next mile a lot faster since I was, you know, running faster.

What are your tips for long runs on the treadmill?