Now I will admit, I was not an immediate convert to outdoor running - yes I had jogged around the block and, on nice summers evenings, taken my trainers 'off-road' and over the south downs... but I had only run along the flat bits. Which, where I live, basically amounts to 'not very far' - go more than half a mile outside my front door in any direction and you will hit hills. Lots and lots of hills. So, my first 'proper' outside run, marked on my training schedule as an 'easy 4 miles' ended in me collapsed by my front door struggling to get the energy to lift the key out of my pocket - now that doesn't happen on the treadmill! There was, however, a strange satisfaction in having braved the elements, pushed my body further than I have pushed for a long, long time (if ever) and, in a manner of speaking, surviving - and within 2 weeks I was hooked. Yes it was harder - much, much harder - but I have to admit that the bit about making you happier - it works! Maybe not at the exact moment I am ankle deep in mud or being beeped at by random cars as I sprint (haha) down the road... but there is definitely something about pulling on my trainers, stepping outside and heading off to explore the next bit of countryside that helps to melt away the stresses of everyday life. And yes, I do think it has made me fitter a lot quicker than treadmills - although that may be the gradient that I am now running on as I was never that good at putting the treadmill on more than a 1% incline!
So for the first few weeks of my training plan, I stuck to this new found love of the outdoors, religiously heading out rain or shine (and, it being the typical UK winter, it was usually rain!). Somehow, however, over christmas my resolve seems to have slipped. I had planned my running carefully around the usual family celebrations - choosing christmas day as my rest day to allow me to spend maximum time eating turkey and mince pies, and running any food-related guilt off with a 5 mile hill run on boxing day. Come boxing day, as I lay resting on the sofa after yet another helping of cold turkey and christmas pudding, watching the rain trickling down the window pane and the trees being battered by the wind, images of the warm, cosy, well-lit gym floated into my mind. And stayed there. Try as I might, I just could not talk myself out of the treadmill option.. so out came the (rather dusty) gym bag and off I went. 5 miles, on a gradient that varied from 1.5 - 6.5%, and with the helpful distraction of Film4. At least, I consoled the small part of me that felt ashamed to be back on the rubber belt, I would get a faster time - treadmills being easier than having to actually use your own energy to propel yourself forwards over the uneven terrain outside. But no, somehow, despite feeling like I was running harder than I ever had before - and definitely sweating a LOT more than I had for a very long time, I was dismayed to find that I ran each mile about a minute slower than I do outside. How is that possible? When the treadmill is doing half the work for you?! Serious question for anyone who wants to tell me the answer...
So now, next time the bright lights of the gym start to tempt me back inside, instead of thinking of all the fitness, health and emotional benefits of running outdoors, I will need only one thing to motivate my arse to get outside: If I go to the gym, I will have to run for longer... for no additional benefit and a lot more boredom! Thats me sold... from now on, my gym is reserved for cross training only - and to celebrate, I am off shopping tomorrow for some brand new trail shoes :-)
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