Strava Marathon (Bellingham, MA)
Finish Time: 3:39
Pace: 8:23
Temp: 64
Conditions: Indoors
Run For: Mara
Recap:
The Treadmill – There is a serious debate amongst runners about this specific piece of exercise equipment. Mention running on a treadmill to a runner, and you’ll hear exactly why they hate the treadmill, and aren’t afraid to tell you why. For the record, I am not anti-treadmill… anymore.
Some people are so anti-treadmill, they refuse to even use the correct term when talking about them, instead they will refer to it as “the dreadmill” or “the hamster wheel” and “the conveyor belt to nowhere.”
As a coach, I routinely hear from runners who reluctantly had to complete a run on a treadmill and were not pleased about having to do so. It’s as if the treadmill is some sort of torture device designed to completely destroy their running career and was sent here to undermine their training plans altogether.
I’ll agree that running for minutes, miles, and hours on end, with a scenery that is never changing, can be very monotonous. I think we often underestimate how our environment and surroundings can distract us from what we are doing. When those distractions are removed, we become very aware of every foot fall, every breath, and the simple fact that running is hard.
Running on the treadmill can be boring. I will agree to that. Most runners when asked why they hate running on the treadmill will simply say “it’s boring.” Running on the treadmill is not like being outside. I also agree, 100% on this one. I can absolutely relate to the number of runners who feel this way. One of the main reasons most runners run outside is so they can feel closer to nature.
I love running outside. Running outside is my church. I’ve seen amazing sunrises, come across some pretty spectacular views and even laughed as the wind seemingly stopped me in my tracks during a hard run. Nothing can beat running outside, feeling the sun warm your face, enjoying the cool rain hitting your skin, and even dancing through snowflakes on a snowy winter morning. Running on the treadmill cannot compete with any of that.
Running isn’t simply a form of exercise, it’s an experience. Take away a huge part of that experience, like being outside, and you might as well not run at all. And honestly, I can’t blame other runners for preferring the outdoors. Like I said, I enjoy it too.
What it comes down to is that we all have our own preferences. We also have our own reasons, and to each their own.
All that being said, I have come to appreciate the treadmill and to be perfectly honest I can now say I actually enjoy it. I know what you must be thinking, because I’m thinking the same thing… Who am I?
I will blame (or give credit) to this 26.2 For You marathon journey for these new, maybe weird, feelings I now have about the treadmill.
I could have counted on both hands, the number of times I ran on the treadmill prior to the endeavor. That’s 15 plus years of running, 99.9% of these runs being outside, not confined to a room with four walls, covering many miles but going absolutely nowhere. I could also tell you how much I disliked every time I did run on the treadmill making a vow to never again spend time on this evil moving belt machine.
However, these negative feelings all started to change when I took on this marathon challenge. I never imagined I would be capable of running so many marathons in such a limited amount of time. I was taking on some hard challenges throughout this journey with the sheer number of marathons. It was during some of these marathons that my mindset started to shift. Instead of feeling hatred towards the treadmill, I start to view it as perhaps another challenge. A challenge within a challenge. I started to wonder if I could run and complete an entire marathon on a treadmill. To my surprise I was able to accomplish it, not just once, but multiple times.
Runners are strange, we do things others might think as crazy or absurd. Moreover, marathoners are a different breed of runners and I’ll admit I’ve been asked if I’m crazy when people find out what I do, let me rephrase that, when people find out what I “voluntarily choose” to do. Running an entire marathon on a treadmill?.. Let’s add it to the “that’s crazy” list.
“This” treadmill marathon was run for my friend, Mara. I met Mara last year when she signed up to participate with Team Challenge’s Cycle team. Like most of the IBD heroes I’ve run for, I heard some of her story which was heartbreaking, finding out about how she wanted to participate before but just wasn’t healthy enough to do so. However, because she is now in remission, she was not only able to ride this past summer but she even exceeded her own expectations.
“I am certainly still riding the high from ride weekend! Completing that metric century ride really changed my life. I had been holding myself back from diving back into all these athletic things I had dreams of doing out of fear that my body couldn’t handle it and that I’d just be left disappointed. Now that I have proven to myself that I can set a fitness goal and achieve it, I feel so free and just happy in a way I haven’t been in a long time. And to have been able to accomplish such a life changing ride with Team Challenge was also so amazing and I can’t wait for many more amazing rides to come. I’ve been doing a lot of mountain biking recently (something that was always just a ‘dream’ of mine) and having a blast! Every day I’m on my bike is a great day that I just feel so thankful for.”
Mara’s story, journey and accomplishments are simply amazing and incredibly inspiring. I will never forget riding next to her during the ride when she told me just how great she was feeling and that she wanted to push herself, attempting to tackle the metric century distance. I was proud of her, but I was also incredibly happy to see her in her element taking on any challenge, accomplishing it with determination and grit. Mara is proof that we can overcome anything life throws at us. She is a fighter and has an inner drive that inspires many, including me.
I was honored to be able to share her story and run a marathon for her. Thank you, Mara, for being a shining star proving anything is possible if you just put your mind to it and work hard. I can’t wait to ride with you again this summer where I’ll have another front row seat, getting to see you accomplish more amazing achievements on your bike. I’m happy to be in this fight against IBD alongside you, literally.
26.2 FOR YOU 