DAY 279
Sunday was lazy. T Junior was on the mend, too, so we ventured out in the afternoon to McClendon’s and got flowers to plant in the front yard, and Mr. T got tomato plants. T Junior helped.
DAY 280
I got up early Monday so I could hit the gym for a 4-miler on the treadmill.
Just before walking out the front door at 6:10, I switched off the front porch light because it was light outside.
Wait.
It’s light out.
I turned around and went back to the kitchen, dropped my gym bag on the table, stuffed my Zune in my iFitness belt and snapped it on. It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve been able to run outside. I even did my 12-miler on the treadmill on Saturday. I was a little nervous to run outdoors.
No moving belt. Actual concrete. Barking dogs. And, this morning, wind on my town loop. Strong gusts that slowed me down and sped me up.
Again, I was very stiff and it took me just over two miles to loosen up my calves. I’m consistently stretching after I run, so I don’t know why my legs are so tight. Do you think it could be from running on the treadmill so much?
The tightness reminded me of running with ski boots on. That made me think of skiing, something I learned to do when I was a toddler and grew up doing with my dad and friends. I love it. I miss it. Thinking of skiing reminded me to drop my hands low, to my hips, and drive from there. That always helps me run faster.
And I wanted to do my third mile at a sub-10 if I could. Dropping my hands helped me accomplish that.
I finished four miles and felt great! I was so happy. I don’t feel that great after getting off the treadmill. I guess there’s something to be said for running outside.
4/26/10 – 4.19 Miles – 42:53
Average pace: 10:13
Mile 1: 10:52
Mile 2: 10:32
Mile 3: 9:36
Mile 4: 9:58
13 comments
Great topic! When I started running again, in January, I would get huge calf cramps after 5 minutes. They were worse on the treadmill. After figuring out some stretches to do before running, they slowly loosened up. I also had to drink 24 oz of water or more about an hour before my run. I know that drinking water helped, but I think the biggest help was the stretching when the muscles were a bit cold…I could really feel where they were tight and then work on warming up those areas.
I have noticed I get tighter in my quads and calves after a treadmill run. Not sure why though.
Nice to run outside again, your times seem to be getting so speedy! I don't know if this applies to your treadmills or not, but a trainer at my gym told me that if my lower legs were bothering me on the treadmills to set them at a slight incline. Apparently on their normal setting you are running on a very slight decline and some people will notice it in their legs. Might be worth a try.
Way to go!I've been running quite a bit on the treadmill and have noticed the same thing, so I'm hoping you find a solution for the both of us! Makes long runs difficult lately.
I totally think it's the treadmill. For my very first half I trained mostly on the treadmill and it killed me. I don't know why that is though :/
Your neighborhood looks pretty! Glad you were able to get out for some fresh-air-miles. Good point about your tight calves and the treadmill… could be.
Nice little run there Kerrie! You're speeding up. Way to go. It's all about consistency – and that is defintely one of your strong suits.
Isn't it awesome that the days are getting longer? I loooove it. Now if they could just get warmer… Yea, treadmill vs. outdoors. I find that the forward momentum of a treadmill makes running easier, but once you go back outdoors and you have to create your OWN momentum, its like your legs say “whoa what happened?” Even though I run on the 'mill a lot, I have no doubt it makes me a lazy runner. Hence my need to get outdoors more.
Great run! You went way under 10 on your third mile! My calves are always tight, too. I know my calves are weak relative to other muscles in my legs, so I think that's part of it.Yeah for early morning sunshine!
I hate passing up early-morning sunshine but I'm that way out of necessity. It's either run at the gym or not run at all, so that's not necessarily a tough call, you know. I'm glad you were able to take advantage of the sun 🙂
Yay for an early morning outdoor run. Great pace too! You are really doing an amazing job with your training these days.
Nice job! I always feel better after running outside too. Not sure why.
Great run! Gotta love it when you realize you can run outside instead of the treadmill. 🙂