Day 28: Life Lessons from the Treadmill

Can you believe it's been almost a month that I've been doing this crazy sh*t competition prep?!  In a way it feels like it flew by, but in another way it feels like it is drag...ging...  Today I was supposed to go back and do cardio this evening and I didn't.  I lifted chest and triceps this morning, and this evening I decided that I just needed a mental, and physical break.  All of this has been so all-consuming that tonight I visited my dear friend, Leslie (hi Les!) and then parked it on my couch for the evening.  And boy does it feel nice.  We'll see how the scale feels tomorrow...

So, remember when I talked about my love-hate relationship with cardio in general here?  Well, let's get a little more specific and talk about the treadmill.  I see the treadmill as the most common piece of cardio equipment.  When someones talks about cardio, they immediately think of the treadmill...which probably makes them want to curl up, eat a big bowl of ice cream, and only see the gym in their sweet dreams.  I know that is exactly how I used to feel, and sometimes still feel.  This is why:

For me, my performance on the treadmill is very unpredictable.  For those of you who know me well, you know that I don't like unpredictable things or things that change.  I like to know exactly what I'm getting myself into and what is going to happen in the end.  Yeah, yeah, not the most exciting way to live, but I am totally one of those people who would DEFINITELY have a palm reader/psychic tell me everything that will happen in my life.  I digress.  Some days I get on the treadmill and I feel awesome.  My pony tail is swinging.  I have a good rhythm.  I can push myself to run faster and harder.  I don't get any cramps and I challenge the dudes next to me who think they are justsospecialandthinktheyarerunningsooofast. 

Then there are the other treadmill days...like yesterday.

I just could not get it together.  My calves and shins were throbbing, which made my feet feel as though they weighed approximately 32490723 pounds.  I couldn't get into a good rhythm.  I felt more winded than usual and was getting weird cramps in my sides.  I've been doing interval training on the treadmill which makes it a little easier.  I run a 1/2 mile as fast as I can and then rest for about a minute.  The goal is to do five 1/2 miles and then 20 minutes on the elliptical.  Since I know a break is coming, I can usually push through any discomfort I may be having.

But I can honestly say that I have enjoyed maybe 2 out of 13497345 times that I've been on a treadmill.  I just don't like it.  It takes me a while to get warmed up and then I never know how my body is going to react...will this be a good, strong running day or will I have Frankenstein foot and having piercing side cramps?  I also don't like that I'm running with no purpose.  I used to play field hockey and I truly enjoyed that.  I was running with a very distinct purpose, not like a hamster stuck on a death trap.  I also, very rarely, am able to truly zone out on the treadmill, especially since with intervals I have to be watching the mileage so carefully.  On the elliptical I can truly zone out and think about other things...it requires very little thought (until my feet go numb and then I switch my zone-out thoughts to what it would be like to either be a midget "little person" or what it would be like to have no feet and only walk on my calves/knees...this distracts me for a good while).

Lastly, I hate the feeling that one, small, wrong step and your booty is flying off that treadmill and onto the hard floor, creating an exciting scene for all other gym-goers.  If I drift a liiiitle to the left, I could trip and I'm a goner.  Same to the right.  And God forbid I slow down too much and I'm off the back of that sucker!  I feel like a drunk person running (for dear life) from the cops, while trying to stay in a straight line...all the while staring at my reflection which gets increasingly flushed and sweaty.

IT'S ALL JUST TOO MUCH CONCENTRATION!  IT'S TOO UNPREDICTABLE!  SO MANY THINGS COULD GO WRONG!  AHHH!

But I think this is all a metaphor for this whole training process.  All of it is so much concentration.  All of it--weight loss, muscle gain, final results--is so unpredictable.  So many different things could go wrong--I could get injured, I could stop losing weight altogether, I could lose my will power....

But, in the end, this (both running and preparing for this competition) is the best thing for me right now.  It will make me stronger.  It will make me balance my priorities.  I will learn to appreciate the unpredictabilities.  I will realize that worrying about everything that can go wrong--whether competition prep, running on the treadmill, or just life--does me no good.  In fact it does the opposite and it drives me nuts.  The more I worry, the more I psych myself out...again, whether preparing for the competition, running, or just living.

I know the treadmill, in addition to other cardio machines, is the best thing for me to do to prepare for this competition.  And I know that all parts of this competition, just as in life, will have unpredictabilities and things that cause me to be fearful.  But it's how I handle them that will make me truly stronger at the end of this, just like running on a treadmill.  Until then, start the treadmill...this hamster is ready for some tortuous, fulfilling, unpredictable, and endless running!

Until next time! :)  xoxo