Thursday, March 29, 2012

Dreadmill

I never understood how much runners dislike the treadmill. Until recently, I've done all of my running on the treadmill. For 4 years, I've been running inside while one or more baby naps.

We got the treadmill when Ivy (our first) was a baby--I think about 4 months old. It was winter, and I wanted to exercise without spending a zillion dollars on a gym membership. I started out putting Ivy in the sling and walking with her while I watched a movie during the day. It should be known that she cried for about 6 months straight--unless I was holding her. So I held her and walked.

After Jamey was born 18 months later, I did some more walking. But then I started the Couch to 5k sometime that summer--still always doing it on the treadmill while the kids napped. Jeremy & I did the Lakefront Days Triathlon in 2009, so I was "training" for that.

Then we spent a year in Florida. I did some running with the two kids in the jogger. We mostly did lots of biking though. And again, I did the Couch to 5k and started a 13.1 training program. But that running was on the treadmill. I was nervous about running alone in the evenings.

Then I got pregnant, and we moved back to MN. Now with three kiddos and winter, I've finished up the Couch to 5k (again) for the Grey Ghost last Oct. Doing all that running on the treadmill while the older two watched SuperWhy, and the baby napped.

It has never bothered me to run on the treadmill. In fact, I've like it. It's been great to see my speed, the incremental progress, the remaining time. It's been good for me to set the speed and just go. I feel like I can't stop early when I'm on the treadmill. The ground just keeps moving. There's water right there. I can watch TV. I don't have to pile the kids in the jogger. It's been the only way I could run for a long time.

It wasn't until about two weeks ago that Jeremy pushed me out the door to get my long run on the trail. It was nice to be out looking around, feeling the breeze, saying hi to other people. One of the best parts is that I'm out of the house alone. It is so refreshing to spend that time alone. We've had an amazing spring so far. It's been gorgeous out! So we're all taking advantage of the nice weather to get out as much as possible.

I love my kids, and they are great while I'm on the treadmill. But gosh, I love running outside. So much, that this morning, I had no interest at all in getting my 4 miles on the treadmill. After a short phone call to Jeremy, he's going to keep the kids when he gets home, so I can go it alone outside.

And I find myself super excited about it. And amazed that I don't want to get on the treadmill. It feels so easy to run outside and like a burden to run inside. I might be transforming into an outdoor runner--something I never thought would happen. And for some reason, that makes me feel like a real runner.

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