Workout Ideas that Will Make You Love the Treadmill

I really dislike the cold. There is nothing I like about it, though this list which details some 50 winter activities, seems pretty awesome. At the time of writing this post, it's below freezing in New York. Consequently, most of my exercising or training is going to be done from that of the treadmill. Though it can be boring, I think a treadmill can be an effective tool for distance runners who want to train through tough, icy winters:

1. A Forgiving surface. With a treadmill you get a flat and forgiving surface, so it's great when you are experiencing aches and pains.
2. You can do fantasy workouts (in theory). You can simulate anything you want to, so it's a great way to train for an out-of-town race with challenging terrain or just to change things up. This would be great if I've signed up for a future race and knows what the terrain will look like.
3. A chance to check your form. What you can't do on the road, you can do in front of a mirror: watch yourself.
4. Safety. The treadmill is blissfully free of all of those hazards--cars, inattentive people, the wrong side of the road. Where I tend to zone out during races, running on a treadmill would allow me to "tune-in" to the workout and focus more intently.
5. A mental challenge. Slogging through the miles without any change in scenery (except maybe the person next to you in the gym) can be mind-numbing--my biggest complaint about running on the treadmill!! At the same time, it can be a great mental training, where hopefully it will teach me to learn how to build up that mental toughness, such it up and deal with it.
6. Data. You know exactly how far you've gone, how much you've climbed, and so on. It's good to keep all that numbers on hand and duplicate specific workouts from time to time just to see if you've progressed.

Below are some fun treadmill workouts ideas that I've done from time to time, to keep boredom at bay:

1. On the up and up. At zero incline, run for 10 mins at a comfortable pace. Set the incline to 1% and run at the same speed for a minute. Drop back to zero incline and run a minute. Raise it to 2% for a minute, then down to zero for a minute. Next raise it to 3%, then down to 1%, then up to 4%, then down to 2%--all for a minute each. Then go up to 5% and down to 3%. Work your way back down from there: 4, 3, 1, 2, 0, 1, 0. Finish with 10 mins of comfortable running at zero. Total running time: 38 mins (14 mins uphill).
2. The Short Circuit. This workout combines toning exercises with running for maximum efficiency and minimal boredom. Warm up for 10 mins at an easy pace. Stop and do 10 or 20 push-ups. Get back on the treadmill and run at a moderately-hard pace for 5 mins. Stop and do 30 ab crunches. Run for 5 mins, get off and do 20 bicycles. Run for 5 mins, stop and do another set of push-ups. Run for 10 mins hard and then cool down with a 10 mins jog. Total running time: 45 mins. 
3. TV Time. For a light entertainment, tune in to your favorite sitcom and, whenever the show is on, run at a moderately-hard pace. At a commercial break, slow the treadmill to an easy pace. Run hard again when the program returns. Repeat the pattern until the show ends. Total running time: 30-40 mins (depends on the show)
4. Run to the rhythm. Prepare a CD or tape of your favorite workout songs first. You can adjust the suggested length by adding or removing music; the key is to pick songs with varied tempos. Then, while running on the treadmill, punch up or slow down the speed to match the song tempos you've recorded. Kick off the mix with 10 mins of easy listening, then insert 5 mins interval at a medium pace. An optimal stride rate that minimizes stress and injury risk is one of about 180 footfalls per minute; use this as your guide for medium tempo. Next, put five mins of music at a fast tempo, followed by eight mins at a medium tempo. Go fast again for 8 mins worth of music, and finish off the mix with 10 mins of lower songs to cool down. You'll find the up-tempo numbers can help you sustain the faster programmed speeds. Total running time: 46:00.

My First PR of the Year!! RnR Arizona Half-Marathon

This past weekend marked my first half-marathon in 2014 and it certainly is an encouraging one! The P.F. Chang Arizona Half was a great race for me-- I PRed at 2:13:55!!! (which is about 8 minutes faster than my last PR). Here are the detailed stats from the race:

The Arizona Half is a race that runs through parts of Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale. The course is mostly flat, with a few hills, but nothing painful. It really helped me when the announcer at the start of the race admonished runners to go out slow but, at the same time, be comforted that the last 3-4 miles are all downhill. That's exactly what happened. Here's a general play-by-play:

• Mile 1: Running around a 8:30-9 minute pace. There were some really slow people in my corral. I actually jumped a few people and started in the race in the 7 corral. Even so, many people were so much slower. I had to weave and bob in the start of the race. Very frustrating to the say the very least.
• Mile 2: I really wanted to go to the bathroom, but alas, the lines are too long. I briefly contemplated going behind a bush... but we are in Arizona, no bushes in sight!!
• Mile 3: I saw a bathroom line with 4 people, I stop and stand in line. After 2 minutes, the line does not move. I cannot wait any longer so I jump off the line and keep running.
• Mile 4: I do no want to keep going, but I took some water and a gummy. I feel invigorated!
• Mile 5: I cannot listen to the Shrek theme song any longer and I switch tracks to Baby by Justin Bieber. (Yes, I listen to my iPhone while I run and yes, I generally listen to Spotify radio and I don't know why, but I got no signals at Tempe, so yes, I am forced to listen to one song on repeat. AHHH.)
• Mile 6: My foot starts to go numb and I panick. Too bad I can't access WebMD while on the run. Later, I read that it could be a combination of so many things, check out this article. Maybe it's my tight compression socks? 
• Mile 7: Painful. I walked a little bit and pondered briefly what the hell I'm doing. Will I lose my foot? I can't feel them! My fingers also feel numb (from the cold). I guess most of the blood is going to my heart for blood.
• Mile 8: The numbness goes away and I feel better. I spot a couple in front of me. They are running at a 10 minute pace. It looks like the guy, who seems more athletically inclined, is encouraging the woman. He is wearing an orange jersey--great, just the right kind of brightness for me. I follow them.
• Mile 9: An incline up a hill, pretty steep. I'm running at a 11-12 mins pace. I see the runners returning on the other side. Some runners in front of me cheat and jumped to the other side. I wondered briefly if I should do the same; maybe I can shave off some minutes-- but for what? What's the point? After all, I run for fitness, I run for health, I am running for life. Running with integrity. So I push forward! 
• Mile 10: The great thing about running up a hill is that eventually you'd reach the top and you'd start running downhill. I feel great! Almost done, just 3 more miles, I can do this!
• Mile 11: Chris said he'd meet me at mile 11, but where is he? I looked around for red-shirted runners. I spot him in the distance; he ran right past me! I holler, "Chris!" Good thing he saw me, otherwise, we'd have a hard time finding each other at the finish line. 
• Mile 12: "We are almost there!" Chris said to me. "Just over the bridge, then turn right." Mile 12 is almost always the longest mile ever.
• Mile 13: I see the finish line in the distance and I speed up. I check my watch-- wow, 7:45 pace, so that's my potential. I feel like my heart will give out but I sprint across the finish line before the clock ticks 2:30. Awesome.

Happy New Year! My 2014 Running Goals

Happy New Year! Happy 2014!

Running Goals

• Do a full 6 week program of Kettleworx. I want to really take the time to do this, partly because I want to prove this guy's statement wrong and also because I want something that will help me strengthen my core and make me a better athlete overall. 
• Run regularly. I use this table as a guide for my marathon training but I may have to improvise given there will be some weeks when I won't get to exercise enough. During the wintery months, I will dedicate my lunch time to gym time. When the weather becomes nicer, I plan to commit to a running team and run outside on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 2014 is the year that I will complete my first marathon!! I am so psyched!!
• Continue my goal to run a half marathon in every state. Here's my heat map to give you a better sense of what has been done (Red = ran in 2013, Purple = tentative plan 2014). This, of course, will be made easy through my commitment to run using the Rock n Roll half-marathon tour pass.