April Showers and Learnin’ to LUV the Treadmill

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I had a great post planned for today. Let’s just say it involved the great outdoors. But then mother nature intervened….

Rainy big city

Oh April Showers – how dare you interrupt my exciting plans? But, alas, it was a rainy day in the Big Apple, so I needed to motivate myself to brave the windy rain and head to the gym for a run. First I made a delicious healthified Egg McMuffin (Egg Beaters, low-fat cheese, on Thomas English Muffin).

Such a messy egg sandwich. Will I EVER get it right?

It was delicious, but I still wasn’t feelin the kick I needed to bang out 12 miles on the treadmill today. So, then I took in some quality tv on SoapNet (90210, One Tree Hill) while I watched the rain pour down on NYC. Two hours later, I promised myself I could enjoy a giant iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts if I went to the gym

The key to my running success (note umbrella in the background)

This did the trick. Cinnamon iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts is my fave. It always gets me going 🙂 Once I got on the treadmill at the gym, the 12 mile run was a piece of cake. Some people really dislike running on the treadmill, but I’ve always been a big fan. I mix it up with the outdoors, because I know I need to challenge my body on different terrains to be a well-rounded runner, but, when it comes to treadmills, I’m like a lil’ hamster! The most I’ve ever run on a treadmill is 18 miles, and while this type of mileage indoors probably doesn’t appeal to everyone, I enjoyed my 18 mile treadmill romp! I’ll share my indoor running secrets below…

After a great run, I was craving a fresh and healthy dinner. So, I went with the “Harvest Version” of the Kitchen Sink Salad: Mushrooms, peppers, mozzarella cheese, raisins and some roasted chicken. Served with a side of strawberries, this was just what I needed to cap off a nice long 12-miler.

A fresh springy dinner

Treadmill Motivation

For those outdoor runners who get extremely bored after running a couple inside, here’s some tips to keep you motivated on days you need to put in a few more miles on the treadmill:

  • Keep it Positive: No wind, no rain, no crazy temperature changes, no cars/bikes clearly aiming to run you over…Enjoy the fact that you can control everything in the indoor environment and that you can just zone out without a care in the world.
  • Visualize: If you’re having a rough time, pretend whatever number of miles you have left is amount you’ll have left in the race you’re training for. When I was training for the marathon, and I did a long run on the treadmill, I’d pretend that last 6 miles was the last 6 miles in the marathon. I’d imagine the feeling of accomplishment and pride I expected to be feeling in those moments. This ALWAYS did the trick for me 🙂 Running is all mental anyway, so use it even more when you’re inside!

I pictured THIS moment...and it worked!

  • Play the “What If” Game: Oh, this is an embarrassing one…Sometimes when I treadmill run, I pretend I’m literally “living my dream.” I may or may not wish that I was Andie Anderson from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days...or at least wish I had her job. So sometimes I think about what it would be like to have that dream job and the steps I can take to get there. Might as well dream big!
  • Kick Up the Playlist: Download some new music before you tackle a long run on the treadmill. You’d be surprised how an amazing playlist can transform your run, especially indoors.(you are more than welcome to grab some brilliant music from my marathon playlist ;-))
  • Pay Attention: Some people cover up their time/speed while they run on the treadmill because they don’t like to see how much time is left. I NEVER do that. I like to monitor my progress and keep track of how I’m feeling at different points in the run. I don’t have a Garmin or any of those expensive running watches so I use my time on the treadmill to pay close attention to my speed and how increasing the speed affects me.
  • Take Advantage of Indoor Entertainment: I usually zone out on my runs, especially indoors. But sometimes I just don’t feel like getting deep into my head. At those time, I am grateful for the opportunity to enjoy some television. Today, Knocked Up was playing on the tv in front of me, and I totally laughed out loud a couple of times…ooooops.

TV and Treadmill = winning combo

  • Make it a Package Deal: Sometimes when I run outside, I get lazy with my weight training, so I like how being indoors forces me to hit the weights. Here’s me tonight, oh so happy to be working my giant muscles.

You too can sweat this much then you workout

I hope these tips were somewhat helpful! They definitely motivate me when I’m dreading a long treadmill run, so maybe they’ll do the same for you. At the very least, you got to see another sweaty picture of me gettin’ my workout on 😉
Just remember: Running is all mental, so whether you’re doing it inside or outside, you always have control over how well your run goes!
It’s raining even harder than before now! So my friends and I are going to enjoy a nice night indoors. I’ve got a busy day tomorrow so I’ll definitely be calling it an early night!

Posted in: Exercise Motivation, Quick Dinners, Runs \ Tagged: , , , ,

11 Thoughts on “April Showers and Learnin’ to LUV the Treadmill”

  1. Coffee&Claptrap on 17 April, 2011 at 5:03 am said:

    I love the treadmill too! It always gets such a bad rap.

    I’m craving an egg McMuffin now gahh!

  2. Holly at Greek Yogurt and Apple Slices on 17 April, 2011 at 10:50 am said:

    Great tips! 🙂 I actually love running on the treadmill- going to go for a run soon! One thing I love about my gym is that they have individual tvs on all of the cardio equipment- makes for an enjoyable run- catching up on shows 🙂 Well, except that at 5am there really is nothing on but the news…guess I get my fill of what is going on in the world though 😉
    Hope you are having a great weekend 😀

    • The Sometimes Healthy Girl on 18 April, 2011 at 2:08 pm said:

      Oh I know – I am so not a fan of watching “real” news while running. Usually I catch the beginning of the Today show since I’m on East Coast time. I sometimes try to position myself strategically so that I’m watching both Today Show and Sports Center. This way I can pretend I know a thing or two about sports 😉

  3. Tessa at Amazing Asset on 17 April, 2011 at 11:37 am said:

    Thanks for these awesome tips! I am actually leaving for the gym soon, treadmill workout planned for today. I am going to use these ideas to keep me going 🙂

  4. sju123 on 17 April, 2011 at 4:33 pm said:

    These are such good tips Jamie!

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