The Frog on the Treadmill

The other day while watching discussion of the sequestration on the news the analyst speaking used the anecdote about the boiling frog as a way to illustrate the possible effects of the sequestration. I've heard the story before and although I don’t like the idea of the outcome it really fit the point he was trying to make.

The story goes like this- if you put a frog in a pot of boiling water it will just jump out. However, if you put a frog into a pot of cold water and slowly heat it, it won’t think it’s in danger and it will be cooked to death. Gruesome, I know.

Random note: Wikipedia says that “a frog submerged and gradually heated will jump out” so that makes me happy.

Anywho, I have been thinking about the boiling frog anecdote ever since I heard it and today I decided to test out my own version. Instead of a frog in a pot of water I used a human (me) on a treadmill.

As you know, I have been fighting a cold which unfortunately screwed up the latter half of last week’s training plan. Since I am still a bit under the weather and my legs have been out of work for a while I needed a plan to shake out the cobwebs and get back to business.

I decided that maybe what I needed to do was slowly ease back into my running but in a way that would still allow me to push myself. So I opted for the ‘run myself cooked’ method. This isn’t rocket science or really anything fancy or creative. I just thought that the best way to get my ‘sea legs’ back was to start off at a comfortable pace and the slowly speed up, using such small increments that it wasn’t very noticeable each time I adjusted the treadmill. Over the course of two miles (that’s what was on the training plan for the day) I went from a 12 min/mile pace to a 9 min/mile pace. I ran my first mile in 11:45 and the second in 10 minutes flat. Although I doubt I could sustain a 9 min/mile pace for much more than a half mile or so right now it was nice to know that even while sick and after taking several days off to rest I was able to shake that all off and push myself for a bit.

And in the end I didn’t feel tired or cooked. I just felt happy. Probably leaps and bounds happier than a frog slowly being cooked to death that’s for sure.

I guess my point of all this is that sometimes in life we need to jump back into thing full-swing, guns blazing, take no prisoners- style but other times we are better off to slowly ease back into them and today’s run called for just that.

And even though it was a short two miles walking away from them feeling healthy totally makes me feel ready for tomorrow’s seven mile run (3 miles at HMP) in the morning.

How to you jump back into training after a break? Do you go full steam or do you ease back into it? 

"Treading"

According to my training schedule I should have done a 5 mile tempo run this morning. Unfortunately, I hit snooze one too many times and I knew there was no way I could get in 5 miles before work. So I opted for plan B. Always have a plan B.

After yesterday’s run I had thought I should probably hit the treadmill today. I had read that running on uneven surfaces and lots of turns/corners is the worst thing to do for an adductor injury and my normal 5 mile route is filled with both. Also, side note, 46 turns during the RnR half. Forty-Six! No wonder my leg went out during the half. Anywho, even though I despise the treadmill I know it is probably the best thing for me as far as recovery goes. And of course when I woke up it was raining which just reaffirmed that it would be a treadmill day for me regardless.

Since I knew I couldn’t get in 5 miles on the treadmill time wise (and I was actually kind of happy about that since running at one speed on a treadmill puts me to sleep) I opted for a different routine. Yesterday Melissa from the Daily Mel Blog (@TheDailyMel) posted an article link on FB to a treadmill workout used at the Biggest Loser Resort and since that was fresh in my mind I opted to give it a try. The routine is called ‘treading’ and here is how it works:

·         5 minute warm-up

·         5 minutes as hard as you can go

·         5 minute recovery 

·         4 minutes as hard as you can go

·         4 minute recovery

·         3 minutes as hard as you can go

·         3 minute recovery

·         2 minutes as hard as you can go

·         2 minute recovery

·         1 minute as hard as you can go

·         1 minute recovery 

·         5 minute cool down

Read more about it here

This is what I ended up doing:

·         5 minute warm up: 30 sec @ 2mph, 30 sec @2.5 mph, 1 min @ 3.1mph, 1 min @ 4mph , 1 min @ 5mph

·         5 min run @ 6mph

·         5 min recover @ 4mph

·         4 min run @ 6.3 mph

·         4 min recover @ 4mph

·         3 min run @ 6.6 mph

·         3 min recover @ 4 mph

·         2 min run @ 6.8 mph

·         2 min recover @ 4mph

·         1 min run @ 7mph

·         1 min recover @ 4mph

·         5 minute cool down; 2 min @ 5.1 mph, 1 min @ 4mph, 1 @ 3.5mph, 1 @ 3mph decreasing down to 2 mph

Total time 40 minutes, total distance 3.25 miles which isn’t too bad since half the time was spent walking

The routine was good; it kept my mind engaged and it went by pretty fast. I think doing this on the treadmill was easier on my body since it was on an even surface. I was able to push myself faster, and for longer, than I was when I did intervals on Tuesday outside so that’s a good sign, right?

I am thinking I will use this routine as my speed work once a week for the time being. I also plan on doing my hill work on the treadmill too (for now at least) but I still plan on doing slow/easy paced runs outside. I’m not sure if I will try to do my tempo runs on the treadmill or outside but since I don't have another one on the schedule for 2 weeks I will decide what to do about it then.

Do you run on a treadmill? How do you keep engaged and excited while doing so? Any tips?

“The past does not define, you the present does.” ~ Jillian Michaels

Week 9 Training Recap

Since I am moving tomorrow I ran my long run this morning. Thankfully this is a recovery week so my long run was 4miles and I was able to squeeze it in before work. Having completely this run means that training week 9 is complete and I can recap it for you today. J

I had four runs on the schedule this week; the Alamo City Beer Challenge #3 10K, intervals, hills, and a four miler.

This week was a really good week for me running-wise. I am actually seeing progress (I think having the Garmin helps because it gives me my mile times) and I am feeling more confident in my running. It makes me very happy to be progressing and it makes me very excited for the two big challenges I have in the next six months; the half and the full marathon.

Sunday 09/09/2012: Alamo City Beer Challenge #3- Mission Possible 10K

The morning of this run started off a little rough. My shorts kept riding up when I walked. We forgot the bug spray, which is a must when running along the river during a West Nile outbreak. I was wearing a new hat which was too big, sat too low on my ears and ended up giving me a nasty headache. I was kind of a mess and was kind of expecting this run to suck.  

Thankfully once I started running none of those ‘problems’ seemed to matter. Well, except for the headache. That was kind of annoying.

I was pretty pleased with my time and pace. This was my first official 10K  (I have ran the distance before but not in an actual race) so I didn’t set any time goals. All I wanted to do was finish and have fun doing it.

Oh, and I should add that Paul also ran the 10K. He hurt his ankle earlier in the week and told me on the morning of that he was going to just jog it. Take it easy. Well, mister-I’m-just-gonna-take-it-easy passed me when I was at mile 2.5 and he was at 4-ish. I gave him a sideways glance and screamed ‘yeah, you’re going really slow’ and laughed. He finished in 51:40, second in his age group. What a rock star.  He won a beer mug. How fitting...

My official time was 01:11:15- woot woot!

Tuesday 09/11/2012: Interval A routine

This interval routine is 5 minute warm-up, intervals; 1 min fast/ 2 min recover x6, 5 minute cool down

What I noticed this week was that my overall mileage was less, my recovery was at a slower pace (I think I walked for each one) but my fast was faster.

Thursday 09/13/2012: Hill A routine

Since the only hilly part on post is currently under construction I have to settle on doing hills on the treadmill. It’s better than nothing, right?

I did 36 minutes of a pre-set hill program on the treadmill at the gym. It’s called ‘Around the World’ which is just hill after hill at various inclines. I think lowest was .7% and highest was 4.3%. I set my pace at 5.2 mph and kept it there the entire time. That’s the one nice thing about a treadmill; it allows you to maintain a set pace easily.

I will be moving into my new apartment this weekend. The surrounding neighborhood is pretty hilly so I am thankful that now I will be able to do my hill work on the roads instead of the treadmill.

Friday 09/14/2012: 4 Mile Long Run

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain. I had two options; go back to bed or go to the gym to get my 4 miles in. I opted for the gym even though you know how I feel about that dang treadmill.

Earlier this week I was talking with Tricia at my Thai Yoga therapy session about running. She too is training for a half marathon. During a discussion about pace she said that she thought I could probably run a sub-10 minute mile. So since I had the ‘opportunity’ to be on a machine that would set my pace I decided to see if I could.

And I did.

Two of them, actually.

Does that count if I did it on a treadmill?

Well, since I proved to myself that I could do it on a treadmill I will attempt to do it on the road this weekend when I run Dani’s Birthday 5K. My treadmill 5K time this morning was 31:48 so I will try to see if I can do that off the treadmill, too.

My mile times this morning were:

Mile 1: 9:31

Mile 2: 11:09

Mile 3: 10:31

Mile 4: 9:49

Not too shabby, if you ask me J

I am very happy with how week 9 went. No complaints here.

Let’s see what week 10 has in store…

Sunday 09/16/2012: Dani’s Birthday 5K which I will be participating in virtually. Wish I could be in MA for this!

Tuesday 09/18/2012: Interval A routine

Thursday 09/20/2012: Tempo A routine (3 miles)

Saturday 09/22/2012: 7 Mile long run (previous 7 mile time 01:25:01)

Not sure what cross training I will get in this week. Things will still be pretty hectic because of the move. Unpacking counts as cross training, right?

Goal for this week: complete all four training runs, unpack and make at least a few meals at home. Wish me luck!

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it."  ~ Oprah Winfrey