Back to the Treadmill

I've had it easy. Up until the last few weeks, winter both this year and in '11-'12 were extremely mild, so I could run outside with little to no problems. However, recently a bout of relentless illness and very cold temperatures (not to mention Hurricane Nemo dropping up to 3 feet of snow on me as I type this) have made running outside difficult at best. So, somewhat crestfallen, I trudge downstairs to my treadmill, a sad model that I picked up for free on the side of the road a few years back. It's stuck in a corner of the basement, has no working display, can no longer consistently incline (a nice way of saying the incline would collapse at any time) and i've duck-taped the  non-functional cross-country ski arms to the base because they were falling down anytime I picked up the speed. Pretty rough, eh?

The funny thing is that i've actually enjoyed my last few treadmill runs. First of all, the soft surface of the treadmill is easier on the legs than pounding the pavement. Secondly, I've been allowing myself a relatively leisurely pace due to my throat infection. (I'm not sure why running actually feels good to my strep throat. I suspect it might be the endorphins masking the discomfort.) Lastly, I've set up another relic rescued from the side of the road - an old TV with a built in VHS in which I play some old X-Files videos I amazingly still have lying around. So I set everything up, pick a good cruising speed (usually between what I think is between 9 and 9:30 per mile), and just zone out to the TV. The time flies by and I get in my workout without hardly even noticing.

The amazing thing is that i'm actually seeing benefits to it: i'm running on a completely flat surface, which is a nice change of pace from the hills around where i live, and the completely consistent footing means that I can focus on keeping a steady form. In short, it's been a win/win situation: I get my run in, feel better, and I don't need to leave the house in nasty winter weather. Although don't get me wrong: as soon as the roads and my throat clear up, i'll be back outside.

What do you do to make your treadmill running more enjoyable?

How to Make Your Runs Longer?

It's not what you think. Boing Boing recently posted about the science behind why we perceive time to pass quickly or slowly. William Reville, emeritus professor of biochemistry at University College Cork, writes in The Irish Times that:

“Time” is related to how much information you are taking in – information stretches time. A child’s day from 9am to 3.30pm is like a 20-hour day for an adult. Children experience many new things every day and time passes slowly, but as people get older they have fewer new experiences and time is less stretched by information. So, you can “lengthen” your life by minimising routine and making sure your life is full of new active experiences – travel to new places, take on new interests, and spend more time living in the present.

The implication here is that running on new routes or using different techniques will make the runs feel longer. Personally, I also enjoy the meditatively qualities that come with running along a route multiple times, forgetting myself and disappearing into a rhythm, but I think I understand what Reville is saying. It's why trail running is so exciting and addictive - you need to pay close attention to what you are doing or you'll fall, and that's why trail runs always seem to take so much longer than running on pavement.

It makes sense, but I'm not sure how this theory accommodates the flip side of this: if you're running in a place that offers you no new information - like a treadmill - the time can drag interminably. In my book, there's nothing worse that running on a treadmill without an interesting podcast or movie, because time just... seems... to... stop...

What's your experience?