Dear Treadmill: An Open Letter to my Favorite Instrument of Torture

Dear Treadmill,

I suppose I should start by apologizing for all the names I’ve called you so far this summer: the classic “dreadmill” title and the inside joke “trashmill” with my race twin, or the oh so straightforward “Satan’s Spawn” because I know calling you those names doesn’t help either of us, and probably makes me psych myself out about using you even more. But man, it sometimes feels like you really truly deserve it. Continue reading

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The Warm Up: It’s not Sexy but I am Finding it is Necessary

Over the past month or so, while I’m between official “training seasons” and just trying to maintain a base level of fitness and stamina, one of the habits I have been working on is warming up and cooling down before and after each workout. I will admit that adding the cool down came pretty naturally to me. I can immediately feel the difference between when I bring my heart rate down gradually vs. coming to a dead stop. I also happen to really enjoy stretching and giving myself the excuse to do a post-run or post-strength stretch feels marvelous. It is also a time when my brain is riding high on endorphins and I can decompress and think about the work I just did. The warm up though? That is a totally different story… Continue reading

Favorite Running Mantras (that are also pretty good Life Mantras)

Sometimes I need a little extra push or motivation when I’m running. And I need it to be something simple enough that I can keep it in my head while doing something physically daunting like running. Here are a few that I’ve been using this past year, and some ways they are useful for other things in life for those of you who were thinking of skipping this entry because running sounds horrible to you (I can’t blame you. I used to be you. I still am you some days…) Continue reading