Running away from the heat on a treadmill

And not succeeding...

In the beginning of the holidays I was optimistically thinking that I could do some of my runs on the treadmill to avoid the heat outside or having to get up very early in the morning. Unfortunately, in addition to being very boring, treadmill running turned out to be quite hot, too. The treadmills I'm using this summer have big touch screens connected to internet, so it is possible to watch entertaining stuff from YouTube. I started out with a 1 hour 10 minute long Jerry Seinfeld stand up show, which I thought would keep me going for about 10 km. I managed to finish the 10 km but it was really no fun at all. Even though the gym is much cooler than outside, I suppose it is still pretty warm, like about 20 degrees. It feels fine when you start running, but after a while the sweating gets really annoying. More annoying than outside, and there is no wind to dry you up. The fact that the surroundings are not moving affects the brain in a negative way, I have read. Like, "We are not getting anywhere!"

I then thought doing intervals should be fine on the treadmill, so I tried that the next time. I am used to doing intervals on the treadmill from Barry's Bootcamp and from training on my own. It is much more fun than running a long distance. Still, this time it turned out to be more challenging than expected. I had planned 20 x 400 m intervals with 60 sec rest in between. For each interval I figured out that 14 km/h (about 4:15 pace) is a good speed on the mill for me... I managed to do only five intervals. I cannot really explain what stopped me from doing more, but I think it was mainly the heavy sweating. The sweat was running in my ears and making my ear phones fall off, and my fingers were so wet that the touch screen did not react to my instructions. I then did 10 x 200 m intervals at the same speed instead. And then I simply could not convince my brain to go on.

A few days later I was able to complete the 20 x 400 m intervals outside. Because of the temperature the speed was quite a bit lower, but the heart rate got to zone 4-5 as it was supposed to, and I did manage to complete all the intervals, although I really really wanted to stop after 10. Of course it helped a lot that Frank was with me for the outside intervals. Doing such a thing alone is much harder. Perhaps if I did the treadmill intervals with someone, I would also be able to complete them. But the static speed of the treadmill is also somewhat demotivating for the coming rounds. Outside, you can regulate the speed as you go, and you very quickly pinpoint some landmarks that show you how far you are from the end of the interval, and reaching them is great motivation for the mind. And even though the temperature is higher outside, the pleasant wind and the scenery really helps the state of mind.

After the first ten intervals we had a break of two minutes instead of one, and we drank some water. I was seriously considering not to continue, but I thought I could do two more before I stopped. After 12, I thought I could do 15 before I stopped. And then I thought, in the worst case, I can just go slower for the last intervals. There is something very special about passing half way, regardless of the distance or the count. Once you pass half of what you had planned, you are able to convince your brain to complete the rest. However, the thought that you will perhaps stop after just half of what you planned also helps your brain during the first half. Like, "If I really do well now, perhaps she will let me off the hook earlier than planned". It is a strange game. It is mainly about tricking your brain to continue all the time...

As a good running buddy repeats frequently (in stronger words): I really don't like running! :-)