Treadmill Tell-All

We are smack in the middle of treadmill season. If there ever was an ideal time for a treadmilling, it is now when the windchill is -20 here at my house. Ouch and no thank you. 

After my own mill session today, I read this article at Marcia's Healthy Slice and thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. If you have a blog, feel free to write your own edition of Treadmill Tell-All... or chime in with your comments below!

My current treadmill setup in my basement

1. What’s your favorite workout to do on a treadmill?  Anything easy! I really can't stand the treadmill; it's a necessary evil in my running journey. So I wouldn't call anything my favorite, but INTERVALS certainly make the time/miles go by quicker. I'm also fond of the progression run.

2. How many miles, on average, do you run on the mill each week?  Hopefully none! I get outdoors as much as possible, regardless of Illinois winter. Both my kids are in school now, so my schedule allows it - unlike the toddler years. Single digits tend to be my cutoff point for cold temp tolerance.

3. What was the most mileage you’ve ever completed on the mill in one workout? When? Why?  I did a 12 miler while training for my third half marathon (2011). When the kids were little, I depended on the treadmill often for my sanity mileage. My husband went through several deployments, so I had no other option sometimes.  Just recently, I did a 10 mile 'mill run. Again, it was nasty winter weather + the Packers game was on. Multi-tasking at its finest!

4. Do you mill at home, the gym or both?  Both for me. While the home treadmill is more convenient, I run better at the gym. I tend to quit on myself or back off the pace while at home. At the gym, there is more distractions (people to watch), less excuses and of course, the feeling that someone is watching. That makes me run stronger.

Treadmill #1 was the place I first
cooked up the notion of running
a half marathon.

5. What distractions or entertainment (if any) do you use to help pass the time?  I'm not a fan of watching tv shows while running. Not sure why, but I just don't like it. Most of the time, I crank the music really loud and watch news or a sporting event at the same time. The music is kind of a treat for me since I rarely run to music any other time. Sometimes as I run to music, I create new rides for my Spinning class... again, multi-tasking.

6. If you have a treadmill at home, what kind is it? How old is it?  In December of 2011, I welcomed treadmill #2 into my home... the ProForm Performance 1450. (My first treadmill lasted roughly 8 years of average use until the repairs got too expensive.)  I wrote a full blog post about my new treadmill here.

7. Do you fuel any differently for a treadmill workout than an outside one? I probably drink more water since it's handy, but normally, I fuel less with GUs.

8. Any treadmill mishaps to report? Nope! Thankfully, I've never fallen or taken any spills.

9. Do you mill at incline to compensate for not being outside?  I only add incline if I'm doing a hill repeat workout. I just don't feel the "easiness" that experts say about treadmills. It already feels harder to me than a flat road. When I run my comfortable pace on the 'mill, it's already slower than my outdoor runs. So I figure why add insult to injury?!  With that being said, I do find that the more treadmill miles I put in, the faster I am once back on the road.

10. Describe your perfect (if there is such an animal) treadmill conditions: I'd love to put my treadmill in a three-seasons porch extended off my dining room. I could enjoy the warmth of sunshine in winter, and be able to watch over my backyard in summer while the kids played.  

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