CONFESSIONS....from the THREADMILL... treadmillers what are your thoughts?

[wiskband]

Hi all......... SO, as I am putting baby down for nap, I began thinking about what my TM exercise will consist of for the day. Should I do a program the TM provides, should I run a certain amount of time or perhaps set a mile goal for myself? The most I have ever gone (NON STOP) is half an hour ( i feel this is becuase I smoke... I know, tisk tisk! ) anyway I set a personl challenge for myself and say I am just gonna get on a run non stop for an hour. see if you can do it renee........... so I sike myself up and hit the TM. A few minutes into it, I begin looking at ALL the numbers......... my goodness they are driving me crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ignore them run to the Ipod and try to do it. then I begin rationalizing. Well, I think to myself, I HAVE ONLY ran half hour prior perhap I shouldnt push it just yet, I go for 40 minutes nah 45 minutes. lol. I get there (40minutes) and say ok I can do 5 more, I get there (45minutes) well I'll just go till this song is over. and so on and so on. I did get there! WOO HOO one hour.

I get to work and told my fellow worker that I did one hour non stop she was impressed. With that, we begin to exchange stories about who "mental" the TM is. I tell her how I try so hard to just focaus on the beat of music and use my feet to follow that beat..... how, sometimes, I cover the numbers so I am not tempted to keep looking etc. She tells me she pushes herself by saying to herself "what else would I be doing with my time right now?" and she too convinces herself to go just one more song etc. And here I was thinking I was the only one who thought strange things or try to dream up techniques to get me "through it".

Anyway, it got me thinking, how do you all cope with the mental aspect of the TM? What gets YOU siked? what gets YOU motivated? What makes YOU go that one more mile or 10 more minutes? What is it that you are thinking about on the TM? IS it the actually TM and what you are doing/ Are you thinking about the rest of day? Are you think about goal?

In other words.............what are you confessions from the TM?


Would love to hear them perhaps we can exchange them and help one another get through the dreaded end! This is my main source of excercise due to my time and/or lifestyle and to be honest, I find the TM boring but I know it works and helps me stay fit. It is just mental crazy! lol.

renee

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I do intervals and watch TV. I like the road better. But that is how I cope with the machine. I don't like it--I don't pretend to like it--I just like that at least I get to run when otherwise I could not.

 

[msblrobs]

I only train on the treadmill and I love it. It is so much easier on my body than the roads. I watch TV or a DVD in my basement. It takes A LOT for me to run outside, especially now in the cold. I also work in finance, so I'm all about numbers. I train to a specified plan. I would go bonkers if I don't kow how far or for how long I've run.

 

[curiouser]

Oh my gosh! I thought I was the only one who got psyched out by the numbers on the treadmill! I've actually taped a piece of paper over the screen before so I won't look at them (it didn't work, I tore off the paper..) No matter how hard I try I keep staring at it and going... OMG!! I still have 13 minutes?! UGGGGGGG!!

 

[ntburns22]

I cover the numbers too!

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

OK, so here it goes from someone who just most recently did her LR of 18 miles on the dreaded TM.
--The sweat absorbing towel/dew rag must be located.
--I get all my beverages and gu nearby.
--Then the fan has to be adjusted "just so." (I must have some sort of air movement.)
All set!
--No wait...I need the TV remote, I need a book-something to read, I need music-my shuffle
(I think I need a suitcase!)

Start 'er up and lets get going.
Play with the incline up one notch, start out with an easy pace to warm up for a few minutes increasing at each minute--looking at the numbers now.
Get the comfy pace going for a while and grab the book. Hold onto the side bar to make sure I don't "slip" off the back of the TM and read for a bit, switch arms, lace towel around the front bar and hold that while walking/wogging and reading...(oh what a sight!) Beverage time. It's a good book so read quite some time. Now I need a break from that.

Kick up the TM pace a bit...drop it down, kick it up, drop it down...
Back to a steady pace, time for TV. Watch that for some...beverage/1/2 gu time
Time to read some more, read read read...beverage/1/2 gu
Enough of this I am starting to struggle...keep going must keep going check the distance, almost there only a couple more miles. beverage 1/2 gu
I can do this! Struggle more, slow down the TM pace. beverage 1/2 gu Finish out, cool down Done! 18 miles time to stretch...tra la la! That is the story of keeping myself focused on the TM

I drank 2 bottles of water plain, had 2 gu packs 1/2 at a time, and 2 glasses of gatorade half with water. Sweat it all off too.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

What a great thread! I've just started using the TM after being outside in the fall. I too find it so boring and am constantly looking at the numbers! The tv helps sometimes. I also try to picture my run/walk outside or even pretend I am in a Disney park.

Lily - Do you run/walk at the same time that you drink? I tried that and got water all over me and the TM!

 

[wiskband]

The DREADMILL!!! is what it can be called! lol!
very intersting I see "numbers" are an issue for most of us. lol.

My goodness, i could never do 18 miles. how long did that take? Most I have ever done was last year 2 weeks prior to the marathon, I did almost 9 miles walk/run. I only did that cause I was so worried about NOT finishing and had no clue what 13 miles was like so I attempted, got to 9 and was simply bored! but knew that I could have kept going.
and tiger, you get alot done on there, lol. you sound like you may even be able to diaper change a baby while on that thing! lol. Once I am on it my hands can only retreive water and change a channel if Im lucky. I dont even mess with the IPOD I just have a treadmill play list all set up! lol.

It was nice hearing I am not the only one who tries to outsmart the DREADmill. lol.

 

[mazzypig]

I almost always run/walk on the treadmill because I just don't like to run by myself outside after dark, not to mention the cold... actually, the real reason is that I don't want anyone to see me lumbering along...

I always watch TV while I'm on the TM, but I'm still marveling at Tiger Lily's ability to read a book (I think I would get sick trying to read while jogging)...I don't have an MP3 player yet but I'm shopping for one and I'm hoping that some fast paced music will help me. I definitely get bored with it. I usually have a set time that I want to go for (like the other day my goal was 2 hours).

In terms of little tricks to get myself going (keep going), sometimes I have a running delusion going on in my imagination...like I'm a famous celebrity and I'm in elite physical shape running at some big Hollywood gym with Keanu Reeves and Orlando Bloom lifting weights nearby thinking "wow, where does she get all that energy from...look at that perfect form...I wonder if she'd go out with me ??" Or something to that effect...

 

[curiouser]

actually, the real reason is that I don't want anyone to see me lumbering along...

I feel exactly the same!! That and I have a hard time keeping pace.. the TM can do that for me!

I've been struggling a lot lately because I use the TM in my apartments "gym" (aka a two bedroom apartment they threw some exercise equipment in). There's two TMs that are nice quality but there's NO tv and the TMs face a mirror. WHY do you need to SEE yourself walking? I never understood that... I'd love a TV in there, but alas I just take my iPod and hope that keeps me motivated. I can't read on a TM cos I'll get motion sick.. no joke!

I miss the one at my parents house where I had my boombox, tv, and vcr set up as well lots of inspirational photos taped up to the wall!

 

[keenercam]

I got such a kick out of everyone's descriptions of their time on the treadmill. And actually, I think I will never be able to think of it as anything but the DREADMILL now. Thanks Renee! Lily -- I am so outrageously impressed with all your preparation and the stamina it must have taken to do 18 miles. I have to say, last weekend, when I had to walk 8, the only thing that made me feel better was being grateful that I had the TM option and didn't have to choose between walking outside or not walking at all.
I, too, show up at the TM/DM with an assortment of paraphernalia. Here is what it took me to do just 8 last weekend! left hand cup holder was a water bottle with crystal light lemonade (had no powerade and couldn't stomach plain water that morning; refilled with plain water after an hour); towel across the display panel, chose a TM/DM in front of a TV playing CNN so that the passage of time was not as obvious as watching several shows on the various other networks. ipod shuffle in ears with only the most upbeat music (including my brand new "RENT" soundtrack), right hand cup holder had a powerbar (ate about 1/4 at a time every so often) and several packets of honey (for an energy boost on the last 3 miles). On the bar in front of my tummy, I rested a trashy novel that required no mental effort at all whatsoever. Not even sure I'd have noticed if my eyes skipped a line or two. I cannot stand to watch the display, but I know I do a mile about every 15 minutes so having a clock on the far wall of the room still keeps me pretty aware of how much longer the agony, er .. . . I mean "training" would go on.

Thanks for the laughs everyone. If we get all the snow that is expected here, I will likely be doing 6 miles on the DTM Saturday, and I will think of all of you!

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

Just for the record: I slowed way down whilst drinking the water. Since it was my LR, I intentionally went at the minimum required speed to qualify me through the marathon for which I am training, so the book was ok to read at that speed (sort of). Normally, when I use that DTM for my "shorter" times (1 hour) I just play TV or music and figure it takes me about 15 min/mile at the speed I have set and sometimes play it up faster to get the HR cranking. So playing with the speed helps keep me interested for that hour.

 

[gradtchr]

On the dreadmill I immediately place my towel over the numbers adjust the headphones find my channel on tv and then select the program. I usually end up peeking at the numbers halfway in and then don't again until it stops. At our gym you are only allowed a 30 minute workout and a 5 minute cooldown and it shuts off. Lately I have been getting off stepping onto the empty one beside me and doing the same thing.

 

[AlreadyexcitedGrammy]

Hey, what a great thread to read as I am soon to embark on my Sat morning walk on my tm! Put me on the plus side of the column - I have no problems using it at all, in fact, I am sure that I would not walk anywhere close to what I do except for the fact that I have it.

I guess I am a bit of a mixture of the previous accounts (TL, I too am impressed that you can read!) I tape Oprah and various other shows, so I have to have 2 remotes (ugh!!) to control tv but only other stuff is water bottle and towel. Last year getting ready for the WDW 1/2 event, I think I walked 10 as the most I have every done and one thing I "forget" is to get some gu or energy boost, when going that many miles. I just get into the mindset that "I am in the house" walking and not really thinking it's that long of a walk. Finally, it dawned on me why I was fading on those longer times (oh, duh!)

As for programming, I just go manually, up and down, faster, slower, it is something "to do". DH and I just talking the other day about the fact TM is not a luxury (to me) I view it as a necessity. We have had virtually no problems with the one we purchased, but I know I CAN'T live without one now!! Yikes - that is scary to say - glad I have WISH tmer friends who understand that statement.

Off to my tm........................

WAIT - I am back to edit - As I hit that send button it "hit" me the most important thing I think about when getting ready for a long walk - is to make sure that my most FAVORITEST walking shorts are available and that gets me started into a good frame of mind............. so how about others, do you have a favorite workout "outfit"..........................

 

[mazzypig]

"so how about others, do you have a favorite workout "outfit".......................... "

Most definitely...that was one of the first things I did when I committed to training for the half, I went out to Target and bought a bunch of moisture-wicking workout clothes. In terms of my favorite-- the moisture-wicking underwear that I splurged on! Since I only bought one pair to see if they really made a difference, I "save" them for my "real effort" workouts! Maybe if I buy a few more pairs, then I'll train harder...(I wish I had a bouncy-smiley-wearing-underwear to insert here...). But in all seriousness, you gotta love that moisture-wicking stuff...I'm always surprised when I get ready to take a shower after a workout at how my clothes are completely soaked but I didn't really notice it.

 

[twotoohappy]

I love the treadmill
I just pace along with my music and pretend I'm at WDW
I think that "what's in your ipod" has everything to do with motivation
Right now, I've got 3 of my favorite pianomen from JR in my ipod.
That's my motivation, to look hot for my next trip.
Running along with them singing works for me.
Now for the couple hundred crunches....ughh, I'll take the dreadmill anyday.
Keep up the good work everyone!