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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

08/09/11: Mental Toughness....

If you're used to running outside: where the scenery changes constantly....yet you suddenly find yourself stuck running inside on a treadmill, with nothing but the images on a TV screen in front of you (a channel you didn't get to pick), the man who wears his spandex swim trucks on the stairmaster in front of you, or the gaggle of women on the Arc trainers one row over who are talking so loudly you have to turn up the sound on your iPod to an eardrum-shattering level just so you can hear the people talking on the TV in front of you (a channel you didn't get to pick).

Mental toughness to the rescue.

If you're used to running outside: where lilac bushes, bar-b-q grills and freshly mown grass fill your sinuses....yet you suddenly find yourself stuck inside running on a treadmill, with nothing but the smells of farts from the dude on the elliptical to your left, body odor from the person to your right (who I swear works out every day and hasn't showered in 17 years), and the 14 different perfumes and hair products in the locker room (none of which smell like lilac, bar-b-q or grass).

Mental toughness to the rescue.

3 miles....30 minutes.....it doesn't seem like a very long time.

But once I get on that machine, it seems like a lifetime.

A long, smelly, annoying lifetime.

:-)
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45:34 (5 min warm up, 8 min cool down), 502 calories, Max HR 196, Avg HR 156



5 comments:

Brook said...

Why didn't you run outside?

Nej said...

@ Brook - still dealing with injury. Hurts too darned bad to run outside every time. :-(

Heidi said...

Ugh ... gym treadmills are the worst! Hate 'em, will do anything to avoid them. I have a TM at home and while it's not that bad, it's still awful. I do not have any distractions down there, just a plain beige wall to stare at. Talk about boring! But at least any smells I have to deal with are my own.

Fran said...

This is exactly the reason why I don't run at the treadmill. 30 minutes feels like an hour and you're not going anywhere.

Hope you will be able to run outside again soon.

Nej said...

@ Heidi - they didn't used to bother me much...but after being able to run outside all last year, I can't stand them now. Heck, I even have one in my basement, I wouldn't have to go to the gym at all....but I can't force myself to get on it either. :-)

@ Fran - 30 minutes is an eternity, isn't it? :-)