Hope you all had a great weekend! In Boston, it wasn’t too cold but unfortunately not very pleasant otherwise—Saturday was a bit gloomy and yesterday was stormy with heavy rain and winds. I will take it over frigid temperatures and blizzards though! In fact, most of the snow that fell the week after Christmas has melted, making it truly look like the calm before the storm!
My legs were feeling sore on Saturday, and I had a friend’s baby shower- so I opted to run the long run yesterday, even given the looming storm. It was also a good excuse to relax the rest of the day!
Co-ed baby shower!
On Sunday, I layered up in rainy day running clothing (ie- jacket, long sleeve, gloves, running tights, SPIbelt and H20 companion, older running shoes, and nothing cotton). But I didn’t anticipate the extent of the storm and it was an adventure out there! On a normally heavily trafficked Charles river loop, I was one of very few runners.
I did consult with my coaches, and decided to split the run into two parts- half outside (8 miles), half inside (8 miles). I also cut down the total mileage a bit, given that I have two additional 20 mile long runs before Phoenix. Flexibility is key for running in the winter and marathon training in general! After returning from the outside portion soaked to the bone, I completely changed (new shoes too!), and headed to the gym with Mark.
The second half of the run on the treadmill was even more mentally challenging than running outside.
This is probably due to the fact that I haven’t run inside in a couple of months and have learned to love running outside in winter. I was able to get through the 8 miles, keeping in mind some of the treadmill tips I’ve learned:
- I brought everything that I needed so it was easily accessible during a run/less tempting to stop. This includes water, GUs/honey stingers, headphones, ipod/iphone (to watch movies/listen to music/podcasts/stream Netflix/texting friends that you’re treadmill running in order to make you feel hardcore), and a towel.
- As suggested above, I brought my iphone/ipad for distraction. I listened to a couple of Podcasts, and then moved on to the Netflix app on my iphone- this was a great distraction for me especially for the last three miles. Friday Night Lights for the win!
- Similar to running outside, I warmed up and stretched a bit before I hopped on the treadmill.
The run was followed by a lot of stretching while Mark cooked a delicious meal. Yes, I know that I am incredibly lucky that I am with a man who cooks! He is a keeper. We’ve been using Runner’s World’s “Meals on the Run” cookbook which I got for Christmas. The cookbook includes 150 energy-packed, healthy recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less! We have loved trying out so many new delicious recipes.
I was looking through some old photos and noticed this one of my cousin and me running Boston in 2014. Well, she was running and was feeling a little injured so I jumped in at mile 10 for support and ran the last 10 miles with her. It was an incredible experience, one I won’t soon forget. The photo is also getting me very excited about some news that I recently heard….more to come on that later this week!
Is anyone training for Boston 2016 or hoping to BQ this year?
Did you run/workout inside or outside this weekend?
What are your favorite treadmill tips?
Have a happy Monday!
Jane Runs Wild 
I agree with the whole treadmill scenario. It is hard to run on a treadmill. When I can’t actually physically see my progress, that is very demoralizing. I’ve always had a hard time getting into the whole treadmill thing. I found that jump rope actually kept me more motivated indoors than would a treadmill.
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I’ll be running my 2nd 50k in Feb and then possibly a 50 miler before the end of the year. Have fun!! Love that race pic.
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That is so amazing!! I’ll be following you as you run the 50k and all other races! Do you have a goal to BQ some day? With all of these ultras and back to back races you do– I think you have a good chance!
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Well I’m not as naturally talented as you are, but yeah sure! One day! I just love running, weather it’s fast or slow. You are just so lightning fast though! LOL! Keep it up!!
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Weather = whether. Obviously I’m still thinking about how cold my 8 miler was this morning. haha!!
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You’re lucky you live in the south!!! It’s been absolutely frigid here these days!
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Believe it or not it does get nippy here too! Hope you all get some great weather in Boston. Not really my focus right now (ultimately I’d like to shoot for a 50 miler, then 100k next, then 100 miles!) After those epic feats maybe I’ll get back to the basics like a BQ. But I 100 percent support those like yourself that are aiming for elite status! We’re not all Olympians when it comes to running, it’s all about the journey of an individual, and the diversity of the sport. Regardless if you are a BQer, ultra runner, or the back of the pack we are all in this together. I think that’s what I love the most about distance running!
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I struggle when I’m working out on the treadmill or stationary bike. It’s just so boring, and I’m not really used to it either. Thankfully, I’ve been able to do most of my runs outside, but I’ve had to do some speed work on the treadmill. That is better for me because it’s broken up a bit naturally. It’s not just slogging along at the same pace for forever.
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Glad to hear that I’m not the only one who considers treadmills “dreadmills”! Hope the weather holds for you for the mean time!
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Jane! I love those running pants! Where are they from? Very impressed that you managed to make it out in the rainy grossness yesterday. You’re so hardcore… Happy Monday! Thanks for the beginning-of-the-week inspiration as always! Any good vegetarian recipes in that cookbook, ps?
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Thank you so much!! I ordered them from my fave online store, runningwarehouse.com. Check it out! There are a few great veg recipes in the book, I’ll send them over!
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We have that exact same cookbook. We’ve gotten some really great healthy recipes from Runner’s World that have become our mainstays. Nope, no treadmill thoughts other than I hate it, ;D, so good for you and super impressive for managing 8 miles on it!
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Thank you, glad you like the book as well! And thanks for your support– it was so tough mentally but I was happy to get through it. Jealous that you’re heading to Hawaii soon!! Talk about a non-mentally difficult run :)
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I love the pants too! I just read an article somewhere about things to do to make treadmill running more tolerable. I don’t remember most of them, but they definitely suggested TV/movie/podcasts as an option.
As a slower runner, the thought of doing a long run on the treadmill is quite daunting.
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Thank you! Yes, distractions are a must!
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I actually just watch a lot of TV on the treadmill. When I lived in Upstate NY, there were several winters where I spent 1-2 months solely on the treadmill. It actually wasn’t as bad as you would think and I did catch up on my TV.
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What’s your favorite show for treadmill distraction?
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I was outside Saturday and Sunday. Cold here in ABQ but the sun was up enough to make the trails a but squishy in places.
I used to do music on the treadmill along with Zombies! Run!, a running app that has awesome storylines. I stopped that though and now I just run on the treadmill and I love it.
I don’t expect it to give me the same experience as the outdoors so I ask itto give me what it is best at. I find I push myself a lot harder on the treadmill than I would outside, averaging a faster pace overall since I don’t have to worry about footing.
I have to get my hands on that book. We have the Complete Runner’s World Cookbook and it is huge and amazing!
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Thanks for that rec, I’ll have to look into Zombies! Run! Good to hear your thoughts on treadmills!
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It’s pretty sweet. They even have built in zombie chases so you have to sprint every so often to get away. Zombie sprints!
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Treadmill running is so tough…I think you have some great points and advice. I try to keep treadmill runs short – I think my longest is 8 miles, or use it for intervals. Listening to podcasts has definitely helped recently but we need to get our netflix going when we’re on the mill. As neveradullbling mentioned, we love that cook book too!!
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You ran long in the same weather I ran in on Saturday. We had rain and it was going to start to snow storm around 2pm. I got out around noon and got my 12 miles in. I LOVE running in the rain. Marathon training starts for me in two weeks and I am desperately trying to up my mileage before then (it has been hard sine having a baby). I have to marathons and hope to BQ again but starting up post baby has me terrified and I don’t often admit that I’m looking to BQ.
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Training for Boston here. While I usually retreat to the treadmill in the winter I’m committed to running outside as much as I can this winter. Especially on hills. But my favorite treadmill tip, if you use the treadmill at the gym like me, is to take extra clothes and shoes along for longer runs. Stop and put on fresh clothes part way through and change to a different treadmill.
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I actually enjoy the treadmill. I’ve had some bad experiences but for the most part have had great runs there.
Love that photo of you and your cousin! What’s the news? You going to Boston too?
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What’s your trick for the treadmill? And check out the next post! Yes Boston 2016!:)
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I run with music so I alternate paces with each song. I also use an interval timer (2 minutes/1 minute or 3 minutes/2 minutes) with three different paces and then alternate.
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