Treadmill vs. Outdoor Running. Is the Treadmill Easier?

I have repeat miles today.  The plan: 2 mile warm-up; 4 repeat miles at 6:30ish pace with a 2 minute active recovery in between; 2 mile cool down.  I'm actually excited!  I never thought I'd be excited about doing repeat miles but these days I seem to  be finding so much more joy in my training than ever before. Things that would have made me sick to my stomach to think about before now make me feel challenged and optimistic. I'm not quite sure what this change is all about but I know a big part of it is that I'm finally at a place where I am ready to push myself to my limits and see what this 32 year old body and mind can do!  And I'm doing it for ME.  Not because I have to but because I WANT to!  I think the biggest part of this new fire in my running spirit is that I experienced my first major injury and during that time I had all kinds of thoughts running through my head. I had a lot of time to think, reevaluate my goals, and decide what I want for my life.  For the first time ever, I wasn't able to run.  I didn't have a choice.  I was couch bound and sitting on that couch for several months wondering if my hamstring would ever be the same again gave me a lot to reflect on.  I found myself almost making a deal with God or myself or my heart that if I could run again without a bum hamstring then I would finally give my all...mentally and physically and I would finally allow myself to believe that I am good enough to dream bigger than I ever would have dared to dream.  I know this sounds silly or sappy but sitting on that couch and not being able to run gave me something that I wish I would have had all along.  It was a gift in a way.  I finally feel like I have that belief in myself that I can do the things that I never truly believed possible.  Something just clicked and I realized that one of the biggest factors that allows the human spirit to be "GREAT" and reach new limits is the desire and belief that something is possible!  I finally believe that I'm capable and I'm willing and excited to Give My All and make the most of this decade in my life!  So, here's to those repeat miles today! 

Which brings me to the topic that I really wanted to put on the table today.  I'm considering doing my repeat miles on the high school track today instead of the Treadmill.  Something about doing these outside sounds way more challenging to me than if I were to do them on the treadmill.  Is this just something in my head or do you think that running outside is the more challenging option?  Something about getting on a treadmill, setting the incline to 1.0 or more and putting the pace at 6:30ish mile pace and holding on just sounds easier to me than having to pace myself and push myself to keep going.  It is so much easier to slow down when I'm running on the track or outside by myself...so much more of mental game for me.  If I slow down or stop on the treadmill when it is set to my goal pace, then I fall off and make a huge ass out of myself in the gym.  This would stink.  Also, I know this sounds really weird, but when you are at the gym doing an intense workout on the Treadmill, there is that sense that you need to look bad ass or keep up because there are people running on the treadmill's behind you.  It gives you that element of having an audience even thought they probably don't give a hoot, don't notice you and are flipping back and forth between Ellen and CNN. Unless of course, you have your pants backwards or are sporting a classy camel toe.

Whatever the reasons, the idea of doing my miles on pace on the track or outside by myself just seems way more challenging than if I go to the gym and get on the TM.  That's just me though.  I'm curious about what you think. 

So, what are your thoughts?  Do you think the treadmill makes a workout easier than if you were were doing your speed workouts on the track or outside somewhere by yourself?  Not just physically but mentally too? 

And do you see yourself accomplishing something in your life that you never before believed possible? 


Amanda

A Little of This and a Little of That. And a Video That Keeps Me Laughing.

Here's a video to go with the Motherhood part of Runnerhood.  Pretty funny...I think most moms can relate to one of these moms in some form.  I did post about running last night with my Redemption Push Ups Video...I guess that one probably has a bit to do with motherhood too.  





Running Related:
*  Thinking next week might be a good time to register for the The Newport Marathon on the Oregon coast.  It is a smaller marathon and they like to keep it that way so it fills up fast.  I think we will make a family vacation out of the deal and rent a beach house with the cousins and grandparents for a few days.  


*  Hoping for a long run this weekend.  Maybe with a new Garmin if Santa delivers.  ;)


*  Trying my mile repeats again in a couple weeks after I'm certain my hamstring is okay.  


*  I need to not just look at the cover of my new running books but to really read them!! Don't know where to start.  ???:  Fell asleep reading Advanced Marathoning and still don't know my lactate threshold or how to find it.....anyone?  Thinking Brain Training for Runners might be a good one to start with.  

Still looking in the mail every day for my secret running blog gift...excited! I'm sure anything I get will be wonderful...it is just so fun to get mail.  I'd be happy with a colorful envelope and some nice well written words.  


Merry Christmas (Almost!).  My kids seem to think it is already here since they keep waking up earlier and earlier.  uggh!  My husband and I are getting a sitter today to go finish up the Christmas shopping.  We just recently got our first non-family babysitter and she is awesome!  Too bad she is going to college next year...she's a dream!  The best kind.  Such a milestone in my mommy life to be using a teenager to babysit.  But I completely trust and love her and so do the kids.

Lots of questions today....hopefully one that you will answer!  I tried to think of motherhood/fatherhood and running equally.  

1. What about you....Do you have a trusted babysitter that you use?


2. Which one of these running books above would your read first?  The Lore of Running is obviously more of a resource to go to when needed so I won't be reading that cover to cover.  


3. Do you do mile repeats in your training program?  


4. What are your thoughts about the Hal Higdon marathon training plan?  This is the only one I've ever used (I've only done 2 marathons).  The process of choosing it was this:  google marathon training.  Choose the first one that came up.  I think Jeff Galloway came up but I didn't know how I felt about his walking breaks that he talks about so I went with Higdon.  Yup, that was my hard work in choosing a plan.  But this time I'd like to be more thoughtful in choosing.  


5. And one final question so you have lots to choose from.  How do you do Santa in your house? Do your kids believe in Santa?  If so, do you have one gift or all the gifts from Santa?  Do they write a letter or go visit or both?  This Santa stuff is all new to me since being a grown up.  I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness until I was 12 so I was never allowed to celebrate anything.  By the time I was 12, it was past the point of believing in all of that magical stuff.  But it has been fun to be a mother and experience all of these fun holidays with my children.  So exciting!  We usually have one big gift for each kid that is unwrapped under the tree from Santa.  The rest are from family.  We definitely do the Santa visit but Santa isn't the main focus of Christmas for us so if we didn't go visit Santa, it might go unnoticed by the kids.  


Amanda