Tuesday Topics: Running on the treadmill or outside?

Happy Tuesday!  Thank you for joining me and Jenn for another edition of Tuesday Topics.  Remember to link up with us!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Don’t forget to come back for later linkers! 

I like running outside and on the treadmill.  I know many people don’t like the treadmill.  In fact, many people HATE it and call it the dreamill.

Here are a few reasons why I like running outside:

• I love running outside because I can leave the house and get some fresh air.

• Sometimes I like running when it is dark because it makes me feel safe and alone in my own world.  I know it sounds weird but this way I tend to not think about all of the things going on in this world and just focus on ME.

• I like checking out the neighborhood.  It makes me happy to see some of the cats.  It makes me sad too because I wonder why they are out there.

• When I run in the neighborhood, I look for any houses that are for sale.  I also like to pick a house and imagine me living there.  Silly?  Maybe.

• I get my vitamin D.  

I haven’t run on the treadmill in years but here is what helped me get through treadmill running:

• Listen to fun music.   I have a variety of Spanish and English music and various playlists.  Depending on how I was feeling is the music I would pick.

• Watch TV.  Sometimes music gets on my nerves so I prefer to watch TV.  I’ve watched whatever is playing on the television or a show on my iPad.

• Change incline and pace.  I did my runs at 0% incline but made sure to change the pace.  I would set a timer for 1:30/2:00 minutes or 3:00/4:00 minutes and then change the pace (I would have 3 different paces) at the sound of the buzzer.  Or I would change it after each song.  This would make the run a bit more exciting and made the time go by faster.

• Break up the run into parts.  I never did a run without stopping.  Who wants to run 10 miles without stopping?  Not me.  For a run of that distance, I would run 2.5 miles, take a quick break, and run again 2.5 miles.  Then I would use the bathroom and/or get more water and repeat for the rest of the 5 miles.  Something similar could be done for 12, 14, or 16 miles.  The key is to not think of it as a LONG run of 12, 14, 16 miles but instead as short and quick runs with breaks in between. 

• Reward myself.   For me it would be a coffee, food, beer, or a new piece of gear.  Of course I wouldn’t do this for every single run but mainly on days when I had ZERO desire to run and needed some motivation.

The topic for next week – What are your favorite recovery aids?  Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!