Rage Against the Machine- treadmill edition

There are two camps when it comes to the treadmill: tolerate it, or hate it with a passion. Love isn't in the lexicon on 99% of runners when it comes to the treadmill. From unchanging scenery to constant pace to sitting in front of a TV, it is what most runners will avoid at all costs.

I was one of those "hate it" people, but have moved into the "tolerate it" camp. Some explaining is in order...

Working as a teacher, your hours are set yet flexible- you need to be at school from 8-3:30, but you're often there early or at a meeting late. Daylight in the winter is scant, so you need a headlamp, or clear path, or an indoor area. For me, the treadmill is that alternative. Even in the city, it is a quicker and safer alternative to the darkness. To me, it's a mileage saver.

There are also real running benefits. The main one is that you can mix pace a little easier than outside. Why? The alternative to running the pace is falling off. Sometimes you need a little pace shift to move the run along on your easy 5-8 miler that you, quite simply, didn't want to go out for anyway (everyone has those days).

Coping with the indoors:

-doing time based intervals. Whether at 3k, 5k, half marathon, or marathon pace, you can knock out 1-10 minutes worth of solid running, take a short jog rest, the. Go at it again.

-adjust your incline. Moving up or down can make for just the challenge you need to get through the slog of the machine. I opt for changes every 5-10 minutes, sometimes shorter. Go up to 3 or 4% (maybe higher), then work down every few seconds or minutes.