Getting a good treadmill workout is an UPHILL battle

Up the incline!

Raise your hand if you hate running on a treadmill.  Ok, not all of you, but a good number.  I LOVE running outdoors, but when it’s cold out I’m a big wuss.  Yes, I am from Buffalo, and I did spend 3 years in Alaska…but I still hate the cold.  So what’s a guy to do when you are unwilling to run in the cold?!?  Treadmill.

Why do I dislike it so much?  Well, I don’t get the spiritual benefit that I do being out in nature for one.  But mainly, it doesn’t seem to help me when I’m on the pavement.  I spent 2 months a couple of winters ago running religiously on a treadmill so that I would be in good running shape in the spring.  I’d be running on that damn treadmill and sweating my butt off.  But when I started running on the pavement in the spring it was as if I had not ran at all over the winter.  I could barely do a mile before my legs were burning and my heart was pounding through my chest. 

Why does this happen?  I have no idea.  Please use my comments section to fill me in.  I did try something new though, and I’m hoping that it will help me this spring.  When on the treadmill, I will start off flat, and every 30 seconds I will bump it up 1 on the incline until I can’t go any higher.  Then I bring it down 1 at a time.  I really feel like I’m getting a workout when I do this…but we will see if it helps any in a couple weeks. 

Please…any better ideas, let me know.

Running as Meditation

Use what works for you.

I developed a love for running towards the end of high school, and did plenty of it during my 10 years in the Army.  I especially liked the long steady runs because I would often “drift off” during the run.  No matter what was going on in my life at that time I would always feel happier after my run. 

It wasn’t until after I was out of the Army that I discovered the reason running made me feel good.  It was my meditation.  My mind goes a million miles a minute from the time that I wake up until the time I go to sleep.  But during a long run my mind would shut off.  I don’t mean day-dreaming.  I was aware of everything going on around me.  In fact, I was more aware of everything around me.  I could hear my breath, the birds chirping and the children in the park giggling at the same time.  I would be taking in the beauty of the vegetation, and have an overwhelming sense of calm. 

About a year ago, someone was teaching me to meditate and explained exactly what I just explained above.  They said that the reason for it is that we have “self-talk” constantly which tends to block our senses.  But when we meditate (or when I run), that self-talk stops giving you an inner-peace. 

I read about this again in “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle.  Interestingly enough, I don’t experience it as often when I actually try to meditate.  But give me a nice long run on a hot sunny day.  Mmmmmm.