Treadmill thoughts and week in Review

Today I was on the treadmill at my local Golds Gym. I looked around and saw so many new faces. You know the ones that make losing weight and being healthy a goal for the New Year. Its frustrating when the gym is jam packed with people like this with only a few sticking it out for the long run each year.

I was there at one point so I need to be nice and curteous to these people with similar goals. Although today, I was being gauked (Sp.?) at. I don't like when people stare at me at the gym. I wonder what they are thinking in their head? Do I have a booger hanging out of my nose? Do I Have toilet paper hanging out of my shorts? Ba ha ha!! I really go into panic mode. Don't know why but I do sometimes. I decided today though that I was going to let them stare at me. Maybe they like a quality they see, maybe they think Im strong, maybe they think Im awesome?!!

Another revealation I had today was when I was on the treadmill for 75min. You know a lot goes through your mind in this time frame! This is how it went: first 10 min I kept thinking, Oh my, my legs are tight from yesterdays run..keep the cadence up! Next 10 min I was laughing inside at the lady next to me that kept having to stop running. And was huffing and puffing about it. Slow down chicka. Next 15 I thought about my cadence, my Ironman and how I wanted to finish. I pictured myself fist pumping at the end, I might have even tried it out on the treadmill but thought against it. The 35 min I looked at all the people on the treadmill of all different shapes and sizes, running all different speeds and it was in this timeframe that I decided I wasn't going to race the guy next to me, I wasn't going to get frustrated with my slow Zone 2 times, but to run my own pace, in my own zones and not care what goes on around me. They don't see what I am trying to accomplish and most of these people will never know. So from now on, it is just me and the treadmill, or road, whichever that may be. I had a good run today and I think this is why!!!

Onto the week in review. I had a pretty crazy week. I had to skip a few workouts here and there because I didn't have enough time to do all the other family things I needed to do. I spent a lot of time with my daughter as she had the week off from school so the time spent was different. All in all I still managed to get some training in. Here are the Numbers:

Swim: 5750 meters- 2 hours 9 min
Bike: 2hr 11 min - trainer
Run: 16.74 miles- 3hours 1 min 27 sec.
Strength: 1 hour 30 min

TOTAL TIME: 8:51:27  

HAPPY TRAINING!!

Treadmill Training

Yes There is such a thing. Now Im no expert at this subject but I've compiled some articles that talk about the benefit of treadmill training and how to do it right. Now Yes, I am coached so I do stick with my plan. If I have to do Hill repeats or Hill Jumps, I'd rather do them outside. Here in NY though, you never know how dark its going to be or how cold it will be.

I try to do most of my workouts in the morning as to not interfere with my 7 year olds activities. But somedays I do have only the choice of a treadmill.

Here are some great tips to get the most out of your workouts

1. Place the treadmill at a 1-2% incline as this most resembles the asphalt and wind you experience outdoors
2. An advantage is the treadmill gives you a level of consistency that makes it easy to identify asymmetry in gait and stride. I have noticed this in myself that I tend to foot strike harder on my right than left and it is heard on the treadmill. I've been trying to take nice light steps and pick my knees up!
3. You know how I've been working on cadence? Yeah well I do this on the treadmill once a week so that I can feel what it feels like to go 90 strides per min per foot.
4. Hill Repeats are good on a treadmill at a 5-6% grade. No downhill required just set it back at 1% to recover!
5. The treadmill forces you to keep a consistent pace which you cannot always do outside. You can see how it feels to run at a 7:30 pace for a full minute.
6. And also Convenience, safety, privacy (if you own your own)
7. you can challenge the guy next to you to run faster...oh wait that wasn't on the list!! ha ha!

See treadmill training can compliment your outdoor training if you remember some of these tips!!

Tomorrow Ill be running outside in the Frigid weather with some Tri Buddies...who in fact are WAY faster than I am...Im going to put them all on a leash tomorrow and have them run slow...If they will let me!! :)

Happy Training!!