Real David H.

The combination of cold weather and darkness continues to lead to treadmill running and this week I have found it to not be so bad. Yesterday I somehow did 5 miles on it and today I did 2.5 miles on it (plus 20 minutes on an elliptical and walk/jog with my dog). Yesterday I did speed work based on my iPod. One song fast (generally 7.5 mph or faster), one song slow (generally about 6.5 mph). It worked pretty well instead of trying to do specific intervals. I found myself not paying attention to the distance so much, which made the 5 miles OK.
Tonight I found myself quickly settling in comfortably between 7 and 7 mph with some tenth of a mile inclines. I started at 1 percent and worked my way up to 4 percent. I certainly wouldn’t call it a hill workout, but it was something different.

The treadmill has certainly helped me pick up the speed with my normal pace. Although outside running is rare, I can tell a big difference. In the short run with my dog tonight, I felt really good. I’m looking forward to this weekend to getting outside. The treadmill is boring, so the faster I run on it the faster I can get off and do something else.