The dread treadmill, dun dun dun!

I was in Maine last weekend and while there I went to my happy place AKA Whole Foods. After I spent a significant amount standing in front of the bakery cases pawing at the glass and drooling at the various confections I finally started making my way to the cash register with my prizes (since you asked I got a boatload of mead for a friend from Maine Meadworks, a bottle of chocolate wine for another friend and a little paper sack full of the most glorious and luscious lemon bars known to man. I don't even like lemon but I got to WF just for those babies every time I visit. They are so amazing that I got one for me and three to take to my stepdad this weekend but they barely made it to Tuesday morning...I think he'll live). Anyway, I was on my way to the register when I saw a little boy sitting in a cart eating a huge red bell pepper like it was an apple. I can't stop thinking about him and how hilarious he was, enjoying his pepper the same way I tucked into that lemon bar on my way home. I wish I liked vegetables like that (at all, really) but it's just not my style.

And that's all I got for that story, I just keep thinking of running again as biting into that pepper. Others might look at me like I'm crazy when I'm really having a grand old time. And I'm ok with that.

Before today I last ran on Thursday morning. I had planned to run at the Back Bay when I was in Maine (one of my favorite places to run) but it was entirely too cold and I don't have the right gear for being outside in below zero temps. This morning I got up and started week 2, day 1 of the C25K which is 90 seconds of running alternating with two minutes of walking. I got frustrated about some things through the course of my day so I decided when I got back to my hotel to do week 2, day 2. It's going better than I expected and it hasn't gotten super tough yet so so far I think the program is great. We'll see though, I have a 5k in a little over a week and a half and I'm really hoping I'm ready. I need to hit some trails this weekend to make sure I'm on the right track.

Why am I worried that I am doing so well on the treadmill but might not do as well in the 5k? Because a treadmill is a cake walk. I'm sorry to break your heart and dash your dreams if you think you can run a 5k on a treadmill and are going to be able to go do the same thing on the road or a trail but it's just not true. There are some reasons why:

1) A treadmill has a soft track. A road has hard pavement that will give you bruised toenails, ITB issues, shin splits, all sorts of fun things.

2) A treadmill moves at the rate you set it at. The road is lazy and just sits there forcing you to do all the work.

3)You know that incline feature on the treadmill? Ha! Roads don't read the memo about you being "ready" to incline at a certain point of your run, it does what it wants. And all those roads that you drive every day that look flat? They are deceitful, deceptive rats.

4) There's no tv on the road which means you can't watch Hoarders to keep your mind off of how many minutes you've run.

I guess if you read this list you would think that I love treadmills but I do not. I need the road, the fresh air, the twists and turns, the puddles, the cars driving by, the change of scenery, the incline, the decline, the challenge. Treadmills get so monotonous and it feels like your're running nowhere but it gets the job done. I know a lot of people call it the "dreadmill" but I refuse. Being negative about something doesn't help you face it any better. If it's cold out or you have an injury or it's 9pm and your're in a random hotel and feel the need to log some miles it's a good substitute. It's also great for doing speedwork. And you might even like it more, who knows? They both have their place in running so use them together and you'll be aces.