treadmill tricks

Without a doubt, it is that time of year again.

There is a chill in the air and the days are short.

Ok - let's be real. Some days it is damn frigid out there (cold as a witches ti....well, you know the saying) and the Iowa winds are a howling.

Which means some of my runs are forced inside to the treadmill.

Now I am not one to bash the treadmill. Sure, I'd prefer to run outside, but they are good for something.

Personally, I love doing speed work on the treadmill for a few reasons.

#1 - You can run at a steady pace
#2 - You can push yourself a bit harder
#3 - If your doing a speed session, you're damn sure people are amazed at your awesomeness.

I particularly like using the treadmill for speed sessions (and no, not just so people think I am awesome), and especially for intervals.

Some days though, I lose track of the number of intervals I've done. Which can be good if you end up doing more than planned, but always leaves me wondering if I got in the six I was shooting for, or if I had one more to go.

My solution to this {white girl} problem - twisty ties.

Before I head to the gym, I grab enough twisty ties for however many intervals I have planned. I find a spot on the treadmill for them, and after completing each interval, I remove one twisty tie.



People probably wonder what the heck I am doing with a handful of twisty ties, but it works.

Plus, it feels good and motivates me to have a visual of the number of hellish 400s I have left...