Nine Excruciating Miles on a Treadmill...

So I am too lazy to get out of bed early for my Sunday morning long run, which is ridiculous, because I went to bed at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday night. Then the excuses started coming -- I need to drink my coffee while it is hot, the men's Olympic marathon is on TV and that only comes around every four years, it is hot outside, etc. etc. etc. Honestly, I did have a headache, but my laziness was getting the best of me.

Finally, at 4:00, David and I made it to the gym. I decided, based on my Saturday run, that it would be too hot to run outside for 9 miles at that time of day. I got on the treadmill and started running. I often run on the treadmill during the week when I do my 3-mile runs and lift weights, but this was a little different. I needed 9 miles. I put on my iPod and set out my water bottle and cranked up the treadmill. By mile two, at 10-minute pace, I was already bored. Have you ever noticed how much faster a 10-minute mile seems on a treadmill than on the road? Maybe it is because you are going nowhere fast.

There was a Lifetime movie on one of the TVs, so I listened to my music and watched the screen. The movie starred Kimberly Williams Paisley, who played the daughter in the "Father of the Bride" movies. I didn't hear any of the words, but I tried to occupy myself by creating the lines in my head. This didn't help, either. Gym attendance is pretty sparse on Sunday afternoons, so there weren't many people around me, and the ones that were around came and went as I ran on and on and on like a gerbil on his little wheel.

Despite the gym amenities such air conditioning, ceiling fans, and television to keep me occupied, I will keep running outside as much as possible. On the treadmill, it is easy to make the decision to stop, leave the gym, and get in the car and go home. On the road, once I run 10 miles from my house or car, I have to run the distance back. In that circumstance, I might as well run because I have to get home somehow. I may not want to run, but being that far from home is definitely motivation to pick up the pace.