Around this time of the year it gets too cold to run outside so I’m stuck running on the treadmill. I have nothing against the treadmill, but it’s so hard to stay focused when you running for long periods of time. The fitness center has new treadmills that have TVs on them. I figured this would help me stay focused, but no, I still get bored easily.
One of the reasons I like to run outside is that I can see how far I’m running and I’m actually going somewhere. Even though the treadmill keeps track of how far I go, I don’t feel like I’ve ran 4 or 5 miles. I can’t stand to look at myself in the mirror because it makes me feel pervertic (if that’s even a word).
Another reason why I like to run outside is that I don’t push myself to work harder than I have to. When I get bored on the treadmill, I tend to increase the speed more often. This is ok when I’m doing tempo runs, but when it’s an easy run day the temptation of increasing the speed is too much and I cave in. I ran 5 miles tonight on the treadmill and I didn’t push the speed. It was torture, but I did it.
Even after complaining about why I dislike treadmills so much, they help me out tremendously. I can easily figure out what marathon pace I would like to run when the big day arrives and I like to “compete” with other runners when they try to run faster than me. 
Once the weather starts to warm up again, I plan to hit the pavement once more.
It’s the dark rather than the cold that generally keeps me from running outside. I’m blind as a bat and worry about tripping headfirst into the road.
Once you get warmed up, cold-weather running can actually be fun. The main thing I have to watch out for is keeping my nose and mouth covered. Even when I do, I can develop a pretty nasty cough from the cold air chafing up my lungs.
Let’s plan to run Sunday, if it’s not pouring rain or snow.