The Cold and A Cold

Last 4 Runs

6 miles, 7:00 pace | 3.5 miles, 7:30 pace | 5 miles, 7:00 pace | 6.5 miles, 7:15 pace


Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat. From my last post:

Mostly 5-7 mile runs where I’m executing a 6:30-7:15 pace…

I know. I have one excuse, and it’s not a great one, but here goes: treadmill.

It dropped to negative temperatures in Columbus Sunday and MOnday, and that’s just too damn cold for me to get outside. So I lowered myself to running indoors on a treadmill, which is probably my least favorite thing on earth to do.

For one thing, it’s impossibly boring. You just stare ahead the only scenery changing being the people walking past you in the gym or outside the windows, and try to keep trudging along in place. But the bigger issue is the discouraging feeling of treadmill running being so difficult. The technology to measure how fast you’re running on a treadmill is not something extraordinary; it doesn’t require math skills beyond division. Which I bring up to say that I guess the miles per hour numbers a treadmill is spitting out is a number we should trust. It’s discouraging then, that running at 7.5 miles per hour (or an 8-minute mile pace) is tiring for me when I’m doing it on a treadmill. That is a slow jog when I’m outside. So what’s going on here? Am I taxing myself that much mentally when I have to run inside?

Either way, I had to hop on a treadmill for the first time in 10-11 months and after I felt like I had been running for three and a half hours I looked down to learn that it had only been 2 minutes and 45 seconds. I stayed the course for long enough to make it feel like I’d done an actual workout, then happily hopped off the infernal machine to do some core work. It’s going to be cold enough again to force me indoors on runs, and I’ll work on sticking it out for longer.

Also from my last post:

I’ve run 9 of the last 12 days, and 5 of the last 6…

Yeaaaaahhhhh. Followed that up with only 4 runs in 8 days. Not great! I got sick and had to take it a little easier this past week. But to be honest, it hasn’t been all bad. I ran in a 40 degree rainstorm (to call it pouring would be hyperbole, but you’d have wanted an umbrella to walk outside). I’ve always thought running in the rain can be pretty fun once you get going; I have some of my best distance runs as I’m more focused on keeping my vision clear and avoiding puddles than my pace. You get weird looks from people and get to do your thing.

Anyway, about 1.5 miles into that run I stepped onto the grass to avoid a large puddle and hit a slick of mud that sent my feet flying out from under me. Imagine that, after it had been raining all day! I’m honestly not sure how, but my right foot got back onto the ground and I was able to right myself before hitting the ground from what I can only assume was a Djokovic-esque contortion. I’ve still got it.

My longest run of 2019 (low bar) was a good way to start a new week off right. More rainy 40s and near-zero temperatures are in the weather prediction for this week, so it should be another terrific time.