Home, Sweet Home...
No matter how much you enjoy the people you are with and the places you are at on holidays, there is something comforting about being back in your own 'space'. I tend to have a 2 to 3 week tolerance for holidays before my heart really starts yearning for my own bed, my own kitchen, my own routine.
I flew back into Hobart on Monday to find Danny waiting for me at the gate with a bunch of flowers. I had missed him more than I had even imagined and I'm not sure what I am going to do when he leaves for Holland for a whole month (less than a month to go!) It certainly made me happy to know that he had missed me just as much while I was gone although it was for different reasons - he may have uttered the magic words 'I didn't realise how much you do for me!' more than once while I was away. Sweet music to my ears!
I always expect so much to have changed when I get back from a trip away but everything was largely unchanged. There was still washing to be done, dishes to be washed, a mountain of paperwork waiting for me at work and emails asking me to do a million shifts at the hotel. But one thing had changed - The skerrick of morning daylight that I had during my 5am runs before I left was officially gone and now I was faced with pitch black morning runs during the week.
I'm no chicken and I live in a fairly safe area so I had no qualms about still heading out onto the streets to get my runs in but Danny wasn't so keen to have me out there all alone in the dark. He asked me to run on the treadmill or switch back to afternoon runs. I may have let out a loud groan at the thought of either of these. After acting like a sulky toddler for a few minutes I remembered the fun I had with Treadmill Roulette (via Carrots 'n' Cake) for my first run after the marathon and decided that some runs on Miles may not be so bad after all!
My Treadmill Roulette Setup!
Treadmill Roulette (TR) is a pretty basic concept that takes running on the treadmill from mind numbingly boring to entertaining. Tina was kind enough to give me permission to re-create her plan in metric for my fellow non-imperialists but if you work in MPH head over to her fantastic blog to get the numbers! There are two levels - one for those of us that running at a slightly slower speed than our fast paced friends.
I've mentioned before that I have a love for music and that I have the concentration span of a gnat. TR combines my love of a good tune whilst keeping my mind on the task. And being on the treadmill I am forced to maintain a specific speed, something I am terrible at in the great outdoors! After a one song warm up the workout is broken into 'rounds'. You put your chosen music device onto shuffle, hit play and then you are left at the mercy of your MP3 player...
Here's how my workout went on Wednesday -
Warm up - The Sun Will Rise : Kelly Clarkson 9.6km/h
Song 2 - White Fences : Needtobreathe Singer is male - 9.9km/h
Song 3 - Everybody Hurts : Avril Lavigne Song is 3:42 long - 10.1km/h
Song 4 - Hearing Voices : One Republic Song title not related to love - 11.1km/h
Song 5 - The Wind : The Fray Title not related to running - 10.9km/h
Recovery - Miles : Christina Perri 10.1km/h
Song 7 - Let Me Down : Kelly Clarkson Singer is female - 10.4km/h
Song 8 - Where You Are : James Morrison Song is from after 2000 - 11.1km/h
Song 9 - Enough For Now : The Fray *Damn* It's a favourite - 11.2km/h!
Cool Down - Need Your Love : Temper Trap 10.4km/h
Total Time : 39:30Distance : 6.8km
The beauty of TR is that you can add or remove 'rounds' to lengthen or shorten your workout. I make a rule with myself that there are no 'swapsies' allowed. If a song comes on that I don't like or I'm not into that particular day I have to grin and bear it. Stay away from that skip button! It's also great because it means I am forced to listen to those unknown songs from albums that I may have been skipping over (like the two Kelly Clarkson songs above) in favour of ones I know I love - I've found some new favourites playing TR!
As much as I enjoyed my round of TR, Danny didn't! The whomp-whomp-whomp of my feet on the belt woke him up not long after I started and kept him awake the whole time. Suddenly his concern for my safety outside disappeared and he gave me permission to head back to the streets! Surprise, surprise. I actually found myself a little disappointed that TR wouldn't be becoming a mid-week running habit but soothed myself with the knowledge that the dreary winter is coming up and I will have more treadmill runs ahead than I know what to do with!
I'd Like To Know...
We all have those not-so-hot workouts. How do you bring the fun to those ones that aren't your favourites or that you just aren't feeling that day?
We all have those not-so-hot workouts. How do you bring the fun to those ones that aren't your favourites or that you just aren't feeling that day?
What a great way to improve a treadmill work out. I hate running on the treadmill and will typically run in almost any conditions to avoid it. When I do wind up on the treadmill, I just buckle down and do it. This idea might make that much more enjoyable! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteFirst up - awww for what Danny said when you got home. Gave me little goose bumps.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I'm glad you get to run outdoors again. Running inside just seems so pointless and mind-numbing. I love running in the dark and the only time I've ever felt threatened was when I mistook a street sign for a man.
I'm glad that you are reunited with Danny! And what a nice thing he said!
ReplyDeleteI don't like the treadmill at all, but this looks like a good workout for those who do use it. I'm seriously never running on one again, though. Indoor track or outside!