Treading the Mill
by Robert James Reese » Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 » 4 Comments
There was about four inches of snow on the ground this morning when it started to rain. The result was a gigantic lake of freezing slushy water covering everything. Still, I was desperate for a run and decided to head outside around 1:00 this afternoon. Less than a half mile into it, I missed my footing and landed in an ankle deep puddle of water. With my shoe and sock soaked to the core, I realized that I'd be asking for frostbite if I finished the planned 8 miler. So, I turn around and head back home. Just as I turned, a van sped past on the FDR and sent a wall of dirty water crashing over me. I literally had to spit out water because it had hit my face so hard that some had landed in my mouth. Disgusting. And cold.
But I was still jonesin' for a run when I got home. Bad. I've been dealing with some wicked insomnia lately and haven't slept more than a couple hours since Sunday night. Plus I had this brutal headache and was just feeling very overwhelmed with work. It was just one of those days where I wanted to start running and never stop. So I decided to head over to the local NYSC and found that they had a $20 two week trial. Sweet.
If you've been reading my blog for long, you probably know how much I hate treadmills. I talk smack about them all the time and tend to avoid them at all costs. That being said, I had an awesome treadmill run today. I did 5 miles in 33:58. It was so nice to have the pace set at a constant level and to not have to worry about it. And, strangely enough, the oppressive heat and humidity inside the gym was actually kinda nice. It felt good to get a decent sweat going. There was something else too – I'm not sure what to call it exactly – Maybe a sense of community? I don't know, it was just that it felt good to have so many other people around running and biking and stair-climbing with me. Like we were all part of something big and important.
I cancelled my run on the west side tomorrow morning with my running partner and am going to head back to the gym for another go at the treadmill instead. I'm certainly not saying the treadmill is better real running, but I guess it can be a nice change every once in a while.
But I was still jonesin' for a run when I got home. Bad. I've been dealing with some wicked insomnia lately and haven't slept more than a couple hours since Sunday night. Plus I had this brutal headache and was just feeling very overwhelmed with work. It was just one of those days where I wanted to start running and never stop. So I decided to head over to the local NYSC and found that they had a $20 two week trial. Sweet.
If you've been reading my blog for long, you probably know how much I hate treadmills. I talk smack about them all the time and tend to avoid them at all costs. That being said, I had an awesome treadmill run today. I did 5 miles in 33:58. It was so nice to have the pace set at a constant level and to not have to worry about it. And, strangely enough, the oppressive heat and humidity inside the gym was actually kinda nice. It felt good to get a decent sweat going. There was something else too – I'm not sure what to call it exactly – Maybe a sense of community? I don't know, it was just that it felt good to have so many other people around running and biking and stair-climbing with me. Like we were all part of something big and important.
I cancelled my run on the west side tomorrow morning with my running partner and am going to head back to the gym for another go at the treadmill instead. I'm certainly not saying the treadmill is better real running, but I guess it can be a nice change every once in a while.
4 Comments
I have not run on a treadmill in years!! But it is a great option for horrible winter days!!! Yesterday, was the worst!!!
Good luck!!
Not today though, I'm headed for the park!
Leave a Comment