Three Things Thursday: Treadmill Running

Jerry to me: What are you going to write about?

Me: Maybe I'll write three things I like about running.

Jerry: That'll be the shortest post ever.

BAHAHA! Touché.

I went for my first run of the year on Tuesday and I chose to run on the treadmill; I just wasn't in the mood to go run outside. I hadn't run on the treadmill in a long time! And I kind of missed it, for some reason. That's why I thought for Three Things Thursday, I'll write three things I like about running on the treadmill.

1. I can read or watch TV while I run.

When I run outside, I have a hard time paying attention to podcasts or audiobooks, and music isn't distracting enough for me. I like to be distracted from the fact that I'm running; I wish I loved every second of it, but those kinds of runs are rare. The more distracted I can get, the better.

A lot of people think it's crazy that I read while running on the treadmill, but I honestly find it to be a great distraction. I set my Kindle Paperwhite in a holder that is right at eye-level, increase the font size a little, and turn on the backlight. It's not hard at all; I can even read when running very hard sprints.

If I'm not into a book on my Kindle, then I watch a show on my iPad. It's hard to follow very in-depth shows when I'm running, so I usually choose something light-hearted--American Housewife is a favorite!

2. There is less laundry.

When I run on the treadmill, regardless of the time of year, I wear capri running tights and a sports bra. The only time I wear a shirt over my sports bra is if the kids have friends over.

When I run outside in the summer, I wear capri running tights, a sports bra, and a shirt. When I run outside in the winter, I wear running tights, a sports bra, a long-sleeved shirt, and a running jacket (not to mention my Buff, which gets sweaty and needs washing).  It may not sound like it would make a big difference in laundry, but hey--multiply a running jacket and a shirt by 3-4 days a week, that's a whole load of laundry right there!

3. I have total control over the speed/incline.

It's kind of nice being able to "set it and forget it" when it comes to the speed and incline settings. When I run outside, I can't help but get distracted from my pacing. I usually wind up running too fast, and then I realize my effort feels harder, so I try to slow down... get distracted and it goes on like that for the entire run. 

Since I am a firm believer that easy runs should *actually* feel easy, running on the treadmill is a good way to do that. I haven't messed with incline settings in years, but I like that I can set the speed and then allow myself to get as distracted as I want without picking up speed.

Likewise, I really prefer to do sprints on the treadmill for that same reason. I can be overly ambitious when I set the speed and I usually find out I'm capable of more than I'd thought I was. Remember that time I was doing 60-second sprints and I thought I was running 7.0 mph for the last one, only to find out after it was over that the speed was actually set on 8.0 mph? I'd felt like was literally going to die, or at least fly off the back of the treadmill. I was really surprised that 7.0 mph felt *that* hard--even though I was out of shape, I thought 7.0 would feel hard, but doable. I *never* would have attempted 8.0, that's for sure!

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While I don't think that treadmill running is ideal for *every* run--there are benefits to running outside, too--it certainly has its perks! There are downsides to treadmill running, too, just as there are with outdoor running. I think it's all about personal preference and what our goals are. Variety is always good!

Now that I'm not racing and I want to run for health/fitness reasons, I am much more likely to utilize the treadmill. Since I'm a big baby in the cold these days, I'd rather stay inside and run than procrastinate due to the cold. And on the summer days where it's super humid? The air conditioning and fans are so nice!