A New Respect for the Treadmill

Admittedly in the past I would avoid treadmill running at all costs. When I began to run I would occasionally run 30 minutes or so on our treadmill in the basement...but it faced a cinder-block wall and those 30 minutes felt more like 3 hours. Even last winter I ran outside all winter long. Every mile from December 1 till the first sign of spring was run outside in the cold, in the snow, etc.

But this year was different. I think that it had something to do with the change of seasons, the decrease in sunlight, so on and so forth, but everything felt off. I had a mixed November and even dealt with some aches and pains. And throughout December I struggled to get on track. I had no desire to go out in the cold. So I joined a gym.

In last December I joined the local gym and since then nearly all of my miles have been on the treadmill, including runs of 15 miles. And I must admit, I am growing to like the treadmill more and more. The following are some reasons why I like the treadmill:

1. I can run in shorts and a short sleeve shirt, enough said

2. I can actually see me pace and change it accordingly. I have since run my first miles at a sub 7 minute pace

3. I think the treadmill is beneficial in that it forces your legs to maintain a certain rhythm and cadence. Leg turnover is a good thing and hopefully it will help me improve when I hit the road/trails later on

4. You can do speed work, hills, etc. all at the same place

Needless to say, I have a new found respect for the treadmill. How about you? How often do you run on the treadmill? What kind of workouts do you like on the treadmill? Feel free to share with the rest of us.