Woahhhhhh...

Picture this: a person running full bore on a treadmill that loses power and "loses" its runner. We've all seen this either in a movie, on a commercial, or dreamt it when we see someone we don't like running on a treadmill. It is definitely funny unless, of course, you are the runner. Just after the 5.75 mile mark of Wednesday night's run, we lost power and the treadmill went from 8.5 mph to 0 mph as quickly as it could, and so did I. Not a nice way to end a run. Wednesday we spent the day at home with the kids because of a closed daycare center and nasty roads. Both Kelly and I worked from home and swapped off kid duties in between emails and conference calls. The roads were a wreck and the weather nasty, so I chose to use the treadmill.

Truthfully, I don't know what I would do up here if I was treadmill adverse. So many people I talk to treat running on treadmills as if it is a lower form of the activity. I must respectfully disagree because without the treadmill, my only option would be to not run. I have a demanding job that will not allow me to run whenever I want to and most times leave me with only a window of opportunity at night after the kids are put to bed.

Also, I seem to do just fine in races and training using the treadmill. Witness my pretty good performance at the Cape Elizabeth 10 Mile Mid Winter Classic a couple weeks ago. Over half my Ironman training a few years ago was spent on both the treadmill and bike trainer due to a nasty winter and I had a great race. Long live indoor training. I hope. I have recently noticed the treadmill belt slipping regularly so I think it is time we perform our first ever maintenance on our machine. We have owned our NordicTrack C 1800 for over five years now problem free so I think we have gotten a good return on our investment. I highly recommend this machine to anyone looking for a good, economical, smooth running treadmill. We routinely will put 3+ hours on the thing on a weekend day and 1.5-2 hours on a weeknight. I've done 2 1/2 hour runs on it and smelled only minimal burning of the belt. To get runs like this out of machine for over five years, experts would convince you that you need to spend ~ $5K to get a good machine. For the price we paid, less than $1K, the same experts would say the machine is only good for walking. Bullocks. Go cheap and run it into the ground...many years from now.

Wednesday run stats:
Treadmill, 5.75+ miles, 2% incline, ~ 43 minutes, 7:29 pace, No HR data

Yesterday I was lucky enough to experience the best of Maine winter days. Jim and I tagged along with Ethan on his recovery day and we had full sun and 26 degrees (17 with the wind). This was in stark contrast to yesterday's snow/sleet/rain combination! I am starting to feel the draw of spring, which is dangerous this early because March and even April in Maine can be cruel. The run itself was good but I felt a little flat. I write this off to a lackluster diet the last couple days. I got some fries in me today after the run so I should be all set tomorrow!

Wednesday run stats:
Noon run outside, 6.3 miles, 45:41 minutes, 7:18 pace, No HR data
Splits: 1 - 7:32, 2 - 7:18, 3 - 7:10, 4 - 7:24(?), 5 - 7:12, 6 - 6:55, End - Cool Down

On Tuesday I got outside at noon and ran with my whole group here at work, consisting of Jim, Ethan, and Tom. It was a great run with temperatures that were very conducive to a comfortable run. It felt really good getting outside and breathing some fresh air. The pace was pretty consistent throughout the entire run, even after Ethan peeled off to get in his tempo workout. And as always, the conversation was scintillating!

Tuesday run stats:
6.3 miles, 46:59, 7:27 pace, No HR data (still can't find my strap)