theinbetweenismine

just a girl living the expat life

Archives for March 2018

Monthly Favorites | March

filed under: monthly favorites

Yes, it’s time again for a little round-up of things I’ve been loving this month. Here we go: 

1. I had been using a Shea Moisture products for a while that I liked a lot, but I think it was a little heavy for my fine hair, so it was time to switch up the shampoo + conditioner again. I came across this double-pack Garnier Fructis Grow Strong Shampoo and Conditioner deal at Target and thought I would give it a try and so far, I am very pleasantly surprised! This leaves my hair soft and straight and very manageable.

2. I did a little bit of beauty shopping for my birthday, if you recall, and among other things, I picked up this (travel size) Ole Henriksen Truth Serum (formulated with vitamin C and collagen) at Sephora. I love (!) the smell of this and use it under my moisturizer. It gets rave reviews and I must say, I am also a fan already.

Now on a side note, if someone can explain to me why the 0.5 oz travel-size bottle costs $15 and the 1 oz full-size bottle is $48 and why in the world anyone would buy the full-size bottle then, I’d very much appreciate it. (scratching my head about this one)

3. I mean, this Be a nice human UNLOCK Hope t-shirt by itself is pretty awesome, right? But, more importantly, Unlock Hope donates 100% of their after-tax profits to fully fund the Think Humanity girl’s hostel in Hoima, Uganda. Through the donation of their profits the girls receive health care, three quality meals a day, utilities, transportation, support staff, tuition, school fees, clothing, uniforms, toiletries, school supplies, books and more. I love to support that.

4. You might have seen this MudLove inspirational bracelet on my wrist a couple of times on Instagram. Like UNLOCK Hope, MudLove also supports a good cause, the “clean water project” in Africa. It seems like I like to wear pretty pieces AND support good causes at the same time, why don’t you?

5. If you haven’t tried Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute yet, what are you waiting for? It’s a blend of 21 spices, but has NO SALT and it’s a great addition to pretty much everything: meat, salad dressings, soups, and sauces. (Goes well with green beans, too.)

6. We’re a little bit obsessed with green beans lately. They’re just so delicious and quick to make, especially if you bake them in the oven. Spread out on a baking sheet, sprinkle with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 15-20 min at 375°F. Done. Go try it.

7. I’ve been taking Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides for a while now. I first heard about collagen a little over a year ago and I thought I’d try it out. Collagen is said to improve hair, skin, and nails (definitely a plus!), but most importantly joints, ligaments, and tendons. So it makes a great supplement for athletes and I think I’ve noticed some of the benefits (you can never be 100% sure, I guess). The powder is flavorless and odorless so it’s easy to mix with liquids (I put it in my morning coffee or smoothie). I noticed that they also sell the collagen peptides in capsule form now, if that’s something you’re more comfortable with. I can also see how these may come in handy for travel.

What was one of your favorite things this month?

Thinking Out Loud #17

filed under: Thinking out loud

+ I’ve been back at work since Tuesday and I am not at all feeling it. Thank goodness, it’s almost the weekend again.

+ Do you know how freakin’ soul-cracking it is to delete the “draft files” that I had set up to recap my trip to Germany? Ugh. Dumb. I should have known better not to do this. Oh well, I guess I could finally finish sharing the recaps from my road trip adventure last fall?!  (Taking a mental note!)

+ On a different note: KLM was unexpectedly accommodating. When I called them last minute to cancel my flight, they gave me the full price back as a credit towards future travel (good for one year). I must say, I was positively surprised.

+ Last weekend, since I was here, I was able to participate in the #marchforourlives here in Sacramento. It was fantastic to see how many people came out to protest gun violence and advocate for more sensible gun legislation. I am glad I marched for such an important cause. Did you march, too?

+ So, here’s a lucky story: I am collecting rewards points with our favorite local pizza restaurant and we usually get a free pizza every once in a while. I am pretty sure we had just recently received our latest free pizza. Last weekend, we went to dinner at the restaurant (with my MIL, who is visiting) and when the bill came, they had given us a huge discount. The waiter said that I had apparently accumulated quite a large number of reward points (they took $60+ off our bill *gasp*) and I am positive that this couldn’t have been true. Of course, I am way too honest and alerted the waiter and asked him to kindly double-check. He did talk with the manager and came back to tell us  ‘thank you for your loyalty’. Oh well, guess there was not much more I could do, but say thank you and keep my mouth shut.

+ I also collected my (belated) birthday treat: a deep dish delight (which is a huge chocolate chip cookie with ice-cream, whipped cream, and a cherry on top; pictured below). OMG, it was delicious, but it was such a huge portion and so ridiculously rich. Let’s just say: we weren’t able to finish it, even with three people.

+ We watched a movie on Netflix for the first time in a long time last weekend… I wanted something light and entertaining, so I went with “Bridget Jones’ Baby”. I really enjoyed it and it made me laugh, but I need someone to explain to me why Bridget and Mark Darcy broke up between the ending of the last movie and the beginning of this one. There was a huge gap in the story that I wasn’t able to fill in. (Also oh my, Patrick Dempsey. I never watched “Grey’s Anatomy”, so I had no idea that he aged so well.)

+ Okay, so I said in my recent Currently post that I was not going to ask for recommendations for shows to watch… but I changed my mind, and I am asking for recommendations now (preferably on Netflix), especially for laugh-out-loud comedies. Come at me! Please and thank you.

What’s one thing you are thinking about this Thursday?

I am linking up with Amanda from Running with Spoons for Thinking out Loud.

Review | My first impression of the Milestone Pod

filed under: fitness, gadgets, linkup, review, running

I’ve mentioned it before: I am a numbers nerd. If you can measure it, I want it measured. I guess this is why I’ve been using a Fitbit and Garmin simultaneously (and then try to make sense of the measured differences, ha!). I know the concept of step counting and calorie counting is theoretically bullshit and never ever an exact science, but it doesn’t have to be 100% accurate for me. I just enjoy having a general idea of what I am doing on the daily and it helps me to hold myself accountable. It really is just for me to have fun with, nothing to obsess over… just give me #allthedata!

To add to my arsenal of gadgets, you might remember that I mentioned that my friend Susi gave me a MilestonePod* for Christmas (after she saw that it was on my wishlist. She’s a smart one, this one!). Hooray, another gadget to ‘measure things’. My nerdy little heart couldn’t be happier.

The MilestonePod is a small tracking device that you clip on your running shoe, which then in turn measures a bunch of extra running statistics. Insights that you obviously can’t all get from a GPS watch (except for these**). It includes:

  • Workout time**
  • Distance**
  • Calories burned**
  • Step count**
  • Pace**: Pace is your average minutes per mile (or kilometer) for the duration of your workout.
  • Location of foot strike: Foot strike is where your foot first makes contact with the ground. The App will display your average percentages between heel, mid-foot and toe.
  • Cadence: Cadence is the average number of times your foot hits the ground in one minute. The generally accepted “golden” standard is 180 steps per minute (spm).
  • Ground contact time: Ground contact, also known as stance time, is measured in milliseconds (ms). It is the average amount of time your foot spends on the ground. Ground contact differs dramatically between running and walking. As your speed increases, the amount of time your foot is on the ground decreases.
  • Rate of impact: Every time you land, your foot impacts the ground with a certain amount of force, which is counteracted by an equal and opposite force applied by the ground to your foot. Rate of impact is the amount of time your body has to deal with that ground force. A higher rate equals shorter time (independent of ground contact time). A lower rate equals more time.
  • Stride length: Stride length is the average length of one full stride. A stride is the distance between your left and right foot touching the ground.
  • Leg swing: Leg swing is how high you get your foot off the ground and towards your butt following push-off. Higher is better. A higher leg swing means you are keeping your body movement closer to your center of gravity.
  • Runficiency Score™: Runficiency Score™ incorporates your cadence, ground contact time, leg swing and stride length into a proprietary measure. We look at your data inputs and compare each measurement to an ideal target value. We then combine the scores into an algorithm to produce a Runficiency Score™. The best possible Runficiency Score™ is 100. It’s fun to see how high you can get! The global average Runficiency Score™ is currently 73.

Source

The MilestonePod syncs up with the MilestonePod app on your phone to display the collected data. You have to download  the app, register and then add your pod (turn on Bluetooth, if it’s not already turned on!).  

When you first set up your MilestonePod, you can go to ‘Settings’ and enter which running shoes you’re using. You’ll not only see your shoe stats (weight, heel drop, typical usage, etc.), but more importantly the pod will act as an odometer and track the mileage on your shoes.

You can use the pod right out of the box, no calibration needed. You clip it to your shoe and are ready to go. To sync after your run, you just hit the ‘tap to sync’ button on the upper left corner of the dashboard display. The distance recorded seems reasonable even when uncalibrated. However, you can improve accuracy by adjusting the distance/time traveled after your run, if you happen to know more accurate measures (e.g. from your watch and from a track or specific route that you know the mileage of). This will calibrate the Milestone Pod and save your calculated stride details.

I’ve used the pod for my long runs on the weekends a couple of times now and it makes me so giddy with excitement.

This is the dashboard view for one of my runs. As you see, it displays the usual metrics: pace, distance, time, and cadence.When you tap on the main display, it will display all the other collected metrics of your run.

Susi inquired right after I posted about it and wanted to know how I like it. I sent her these screenshots:

I had NO idea that I – apparently – heel strike. No IDEA. I thought I might at least partially mid-strike, but nope, 100% heel strike. That being said, my rate of impact is very low, as you can see. So even though heel striking is not considered ideal, I guess I would be more worried if I had a higher rate of impact.

I am pretty happy with my cadence (ideal is 180spm), but apparently my feet still spend too much time on the ground. I also wasn’t aware that I apparently don’t lift my legs off the ground enough (something that is considered more efficient, although it sounds like so much more work, doesn’t it?!). I guess that is something that could be worked on.

The app has some straightforward charts showing how stride-length, ground contact time, cadence and runficiency all vary with pace. The Runficiency Score™ is a little arbitrary, because it’s not really explained well how exactly they come up with the number, but all your mind needs to know is that a higher number is better, so the goal is to work on improving the Runficiency Score™.

Susi looked at the stats and replied: Interesting. But why do I need to know this for every run? Doesn’t this all stay pretty much the same?

So here’s the intriguing part for me and my answer to her question: not necessarily. I think the stats, or some stats at least, can change over time, depending on your level of fitness and your efforts on good running form. There is an option through the app where you can request tips on improving certain running metrics. The collected information might even help you find the right shoe, because apparently we run a little different in different shoes (duh!) and I am intrigued to try the pod on a different shoe to see if the statistics change/improve.

A few other tidbits:

  • The pod has a built-in battery that doesn’t require recharging (although I kinda wish it could be recharged).
  • The pod automatically tracks your runs without you needing to press any buttons (once you have a cadence of 100+ steps/minute for six straight minutes, it recognizes that you’re running. It goes back and captures those first six minutes, and will continue tracking until your cadence falls below 100 steps/minute for six straight minutes). I would prefer to start it manually by tapping it or via the app to really just “record” my main run, no warm-up or cool-down, but that’s ok… I get those metrics that are important for pace from my watch.
  • The app can handle multiple pods, each belonging to a shoe pair until the pair are ‘retired’. You can then ‘reset’ the pod for a new shoe, run history will be preserved in the app.
  • It can now be used as a real-time foot pod that communicates in real-time with some BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) devices which include: Polar V800, M400 and M430; Suunto Ambit3 and SPARTAN; Garmin Fenix 5 and 935 series. Since it doesn’t work with my particular Garmin model, I haven’t explored this more, but it might be interesting for you, if you own one of these devices. It’s also compatible with some apps.

Final thoughts: Sure, the MilestonePod has some (IMHO minor) flaws, but I’d say this can be expected from a device at this price point ($29.95). I am not an elite runner and don’t need 100% accurate feedback and therefore I can say that so far, I am really happy with all the extra information that the MilestonePod can provide. I am currently just using it outdoors on my long runs.

I understand that this little gadget might not be for everyone. Many runners probably aren’t interested to learn more about their running form or are not looking to improve their gait, but I find this super-interesting. I love that the app provides a full list of metrics and graphs that I can just peruse and geek out over. And more importantly,  that I receive feedback on my running form that I would otherwise only get through a professional gait analysis. I am not saying that this device replaces such an analysis (and I would love to get one done sometime), but for now, it gives me some tips and ideas what to consciously work on while I’m running.

I am linking up with with Erika, Patty and Marcia  for Tuesdays on the Run.

*Note: This is not a sponsored post, and I, ahm, I mean, Susi paid full price for the MilestonePod. I am not affiliated with the company, nor have they endorsed, sponsored or paid for my review. I am just sharing my personal thoughts on the product.  All opinions are my own.

Currently | March

filed under: currently

incredibly sad that I am here and not there. If you follow me on Instagram, you already know that due to some unforeseen circumstances, I had to cancel my trip to Germany to see my bff and go skiing with my family and to say that I am disappointed is the understatement of the century. I haven’t seen my family in almost a year and this trip would have meant so much to me. Sometimes in life, we don’t get to do what we want and I try to accept that, but it’s hard right now. Thanks to everyone who has reached out already. 

looking forward to spending some time playing in the snow!

wishing that perceived time will really slow down for the next two weeks while I am on vacation.

going back to work tomorrow, so I can save some of my vacation days for a later time.

enjoying the early morning sunrises on my commute to work.

loving my latest knitting project. It’s a triangle shawl in simple garter stitch, but I just love how soft and cozy this pattern is. I just want to snuggle into it, and I feel the color gradient of the yarn adds enough uniqueness to this otherwise simple pattern. 

drinking Lemon Ginger tea.

eating oatmeal. I tried this recipe from Laura’s blog last weekend. The only change I made was that I used quick cooking steel cut oats instead of rolled oats (because they don’t get so ‘mushy’) and it was really, really good. The recipe called for using water and no sweetener and I wasn’t sure if I would like that because I usually made oatmeal with almond milk and maple syrup in the past, but just adding the raspberries and nut butter (I used almond) totally worked! You should give this a try. It’s tasty and really filling!

watching nothing. I honestly haven’t watched a show or anything in AGES. I am also not going to ask for recommendations because I just don’t make time for shows (although there are a few that intrigue me, to be honest).

reading Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff.

listening to NPR. What else is new. I really only listen to anything when I commute to work these days… but maybe I’ll pop in an episode of one of my saved podcasts on my flight.

excited that I got to see a friend from College last weekend. She’s on vacation in the States and was in the area, so we decided to get together. We studied P.E. together back in the day and had loosely kept in touch over the years and it was just so nice to catch up in person again!

What’s up with you currently? Tell me something good.

Recipe | Marble Cake

filed under: nostalgia, recipe

I could have sworn that I had posted this recipe before but it doesn’t show up under my recipe tag, so I think it’s a good time to re-post it. I have mentioned marble cake on this blog here many, many times (because it’s my favorite). It’s a cake my mom often baked during my childhood and I love it, because a) it tastes good (duh!) and b) it reminds me of home.

I like other cakes too. When was little, my Mom would make Kalter Hund (cold dog) — or Kalte Schnauze (cold snout) or Kellerkuchen (cellar cake) — a non-bake cake made out of butter-biscuits and chocolate (which in the old days you’d put together and then take to the basement to cool) for our birthday. I also love lemon cake and, really, every other bundt cake, but it’s become a bit of a tradition to bake myself a little marble cake for my birthday every year.

Anyway, I thought it was time to finally share the recipe with you (so you can get in on the deliciousness).

I usually half my mom’s original recipe to fill a 8×4 inch baking form (if I just bake for J and myself). Traditionally, you’d want to bake this in a bundt springform (like this one).

[yumprint-recipe id=’23’]What’s your favorite cake? 

March Link Love

filed under: link love

Around the Interwebs

The most underrated city in all 50 states. Hint, my current city made the list!

I totally believe that. The key to weight loss is diet quality, not quantity, a study finds.

This is so fascinating. And true! “When a bilingual person tries to articulate a thought in one language, words and grammatical structures from the other language often clamor in the background, jostling for attention. The subconscious effort of suppressing this competition can slow the retrieval of words—and if the background language elbows its way to the forefront, the speaker may resort to code-switching, plunking down a word from one language into the sentence frame of another.”  The strange persistence of first languages.

Here’s the first thing flight attendants notice about you after boarding your flight. Food for thought!

Sobering. Welcome to the age of climate migration.

I have forgotten how to read. I am so glad that hasn’t happened to me yet.

The secrets of resilience.

The need to read. “Books are uniquely suited to helping us change our relationship to the rhythms and habits of daily life in this world of endless connectivity.”

The male glance: how we fail to take women’s stories seriously.

If you were ever curious about the story behind Dave’s Killer Bread (which J loves!).

Living in Switzerland ruined me for America and its lousy work culture. (10 days of vacation are really not enough.)

Around the blogosphere

5 things that make me travel smarter. My friend Terra shares some great travel tips.

30 places: Where to eat in Sacramento. Jenna put together a great list, but my favorite restaurants are not even on there. We truly have a huge and diverse restaurant scene in this town.

Does being a twin impact your future relationships? I – from personal experience – wouldn’t think so.

I haven’t really made use of these yet, but maybe you need to know how to create covers for Instagram Stories Highlights.

Craftiness

31 Bullet Journal supplies recommended by the pros. (I shared my own list of bullet journal essentials yesterday.)

Freebie! Dog Paper Toy for 2018. Cute!

15 Home Management Binders to get you crazy organized. Do you have one? (Pssst, I don’t.)

Free Bullet Journal Header Stickers + Cut Files.

River’s Walk Shawl – FREE crochet pattern.

Deliciousness.

I am usually not a fan of melted cheese sandwiches, but these broccoli-cheddar melts looks fantastic.

Brussels sprout hash with sweet potato and bacon (Whole 30). Yum.

Honey almond granola bars? Okay!

I wanna try this Curry Coconut Noodle Soup.

I am salt. What are you?

Share a good link with me in the comments!

My Bullet Journal Essentials

filed under: bulletjournaling

I was trying to listen to everybody’s advice to NOT compare your bullet journal beginnings with the layouts of other people (easier said than done!), but I promised myself not to buy all new supplies (although this is what my perfectionist little heart wanted to do, of course!), but start with what I had on hand (and believe me, I already have quite a few stationary supplies on hand).

(In all fairness, I did buy a couple of things, because they seemed ‘essential’ to my success in this new endeavor (in the following marked with a *).

Here’s what I am currently using for my new bullet journal adventure.

*A notebook. I went with the popular and recommended dotted A5 Leuchtturm 1917. I generally like notebooks that are squared, not ruled. The only complaint I have: writing shows through on the other side.

Tombow Correction Tape. Even though I’ve already learned to start out with pencil, you will inevitably mess up along the way (or maybe just me), so this correction tape comes in really handy.

Lamy mechanical (pen and) pencil. After messing up the first couple of pages, I came to the – completely surprising and unexpected – conclusion that I should probably map out my layouts in pencil first (duh!).

*Geometric template ruler. I bought this set of two rulers because it will simply make it faster and easier to use geometric shapes in my bullet journal and I am all about making this work fast and easy for me.

*Staedtler eraser. I probably didn’t need a new eraser, but I read good things about this one getting easily rid off ‘pencil draft lines’, so I bought it.

Washi Tape. There is ALWAYS use for washi tape, am I right?  I already have a bunch, so I will definitely use some of that in my bullet journal.

*Micron 01 archival ink pen. I usually have a favorite ballpoint pen that I like to write with, but turns out, it’s not suitable to create layouts (because it smears) and to write in the relatively small (for my handwriting) squares. (This is a real challenge for someone like me with a huge handwriting.) I also tend to push hard on the pens that I write with, so felt-tip fineliners don’t really last long for me, but Abby recommended the Micron Pens (which also come in different nib sizes and colors) and the tip seems to be a bit more durable (so far).

Stamps. I guess I could – and surely will – create some embellishments myself, but stamps are so quick and easy to use and add a little personality to an empty page. I have a large collection of stamps, so they’ll definitely be used.

Color Pencils. I am a fan of light, muted colors and since the Leuchtturm Journal paper has a tendency to bleed through the pages, I try to keep the coloring light with art color pencils.

*Flexible stainless steel ruler with no-skid cork backing. When I complained on Twitter about my ruler and pen smearing the lines when I first started layouts in my bullet journal, Kyla pointed me to this awesome stainless steel ruler that is slightly raised from the page by a no-skid cork backing which prevents newly drawn lines from smearing. A must-have.

*  *  * 

I know that I need to keep things fairly simple, a) because I know I won’t dedicate all my free time to doodle and make this journal super-fancy (I have too many competing interests), and b) because I actually like simple designs. I also know that stamps and stencils will significantly speed up the process of getting my monthly/weekly layouts ready to use.

If you bullet journal, what are three of your must-have supplies?

This post does not contain any affiliate links. I only linked items to Amazon, so you can easily access more information about the items. I only bought a couple of things from Amazon, the other *-marked items are from a local art supply store.

Birthday Shenanigans

filed under: about me, beauty, birthday

Saturday was my birthday, but I made a whole birthday weekend out of it! Wouldn’t you?

Friday was my RDO (regular day off) and I started the day off with a spa appointment at 10:30 a.m. I hadn’t had a facial in forever, so I thought my birthday was a good occasion to take care of myself a bit. I had an ULTA gift certificate (from last year) that I wanted to use. I had never had a facial at ULTA before, but I was really very pleasantly surprised. The skin therapist (I don’t know the difference between all the jargon ‘skin therapist/esthetician/cosmetician/beautician, but she called herself a skin therapist) was very nice and knowledgeable and explained everything that she did along the way (which I really appreciated). It was an hour of relaxing and pampering.

Afterwards I did some (necessary and some pre-birthday) shopping. First I went to Sephora for some birthday shopping sponsored by J (and also to collect my beauty insider birthday gift), and then to Kohls. I also picked up my birthday treat at Starbucks.  

Then I went to World Market to spend my $10 birthday coupon to get some essentials there ( you know, like Deutschländer sausages, German pickles, and Dutch licorice!) and finished my day of shopping with a stop at the grocery store. It was nice to be out and about for a bit. I don’t do that very often.

Saturday I slept in until 9 a.m. and then I took a shower before a little bit of a phone marathon with my sister, my parents, my uncle and two of my best friends.

I had coffee and birthday cake and then opened a few cards and birthday gifts, which was nice. And then I lounged around the house with my book all afternoon. It was glorious.

In the evening, I mad the last minute decision to go to La Trattoria Bohemia, a small-but-cozy Czech-Italian restaurant in East Sacramento, for dinner. The whole day I had thought about where I wanted to go and I couldn’t really nail down what food I felt like, but you can never go wrong with Italian, am I right? We had caprese salad and calamari as an appetizer and then I ordered the spaghetti aglio e oglio with Italian sausages and J had Schnitzel with potato salad. Both were so good.

And then Sunday I took the liberty to extend my lazy birthday weekend for a little longer. I slept in (it’s ridiculous, but the time change did throw me off quite a bit) and then I couldn’t get myself to do anything but drink coffee, read on the couch, and take a nap in the afternoon. Oops. 

I did cook a very delicious stir-fry dinner though.

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?

 

Thinking Out Loud #16

filed under: linkup, Thinking out loud

Illustration by @kimothyjoy

+ It’s International Women’s Day today and I want to say that I can call myself lucky to have some of the most amazing women in my life! I believe women are the ones who are going to change this world.

+ Did you watch the Oscars? I don’t watch awards shows religiously, but I did tune into the Academy Awards last Sunday. Mostly because Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) performed the late Tom Petty’s “Room at the Top” for the “In Memoriam” section. You gotta see it. They couldn’t have picked anyone better to perform this song. (P.S. I love Eddie Vedder, can you tell?) P.S. I have seen none of the Oscar nominated films yet. *shakeshead*)

+ I think I am digging out this old recipe for the weekend. I somehow always forget how well scones go with a cup of coffee and they’re so easy to make.

+ When I was looking for a new book at the (digital) library last night, I ended up adding myself to the waitlist of 15 (!) books ( which I will regret, as they will all become available at the same time. I KNOW IT.) until I could find one that was available to borrow right away. All this hassle in order to read for free, am I right?! #firstworldproblems

+ I am heading to Sephora tomorrow (a little pre-birthday shopping, woot!) and I need your must-have recommendations (both skincare and makeup). Please and thank you.

+ I snatched this awesome shirt (which I had my eye on for a while!) for about 50% off plus free shipping today and I am supporting a good cause. Sometimes it pays off to “wait” for things you want. Do you also pre-birthday-shop for yourself? Or just me?

I am linking up with Amanda from Running with Spoons for Thinking out Loud.

TotR | Treadmill tell-all. Love? Hate? Tolerate?

filed under: linkup, running

This week, I am linking up with Erika, Patty and Marcia  for Tuesdays on the Run again and we’re sharing our thoughts on treadmills.

I used to be an ‘exlusive’ treadmill runner before I really picked up running as a sport. I used to go to the gym for classes or use the cross trainer and sometimes used the treadmill. When I finally got serious with running and tried to transition to outdoor running, it felt so hard. Now, I do a mix of both and I love both for different reasons.

I know many, many runners loathe the treadmill, but I feel like it really has its benefits. Unfortunately, I don’t have a treadmill at home (that would make things even easier!), but I do run on the treadmill at the gym 2-3 times per week. My gym doesn’t have an indoor track, but I doubt that I would choose it over the treadmill anyway.

Love is a strong word, but I feel like I do a little bit more than just tolerate the treadmill, so here are 5 things that I appreciate about treadmill running:

It forces me to hold my pace.

When I run outdoors, my pace can be all over the place. If I hop on the treadmill, it forces me to run steady (which is good when I should stick to an easy pace and also good when I should stick to a tempo pace). Win-win.

I can zone out.

I can watch TV (I get a fair amount of my news when I am on the treadmill) or listen to a podcast and just let my legs do the work. I can have a sip to drink and don’t even have to carry the bottle.

It makes hill repeats easy. 

We don’t have a lot of hills where I run (except for the occasional overpass), so hill repeats only happen on the treadmill (if at all).

It makes progression runs easy. 

I tend to run a lot by ‘effort’ when I run outside, rather than a specific pace, mainly because my level of comfort varies from day to day and it’s hard for me to ‘hold myself’ back for an easy run or push myself for a tempo run and hit goal paces without constantly checking my watch. The treadmill makes it really easy to increase pace without having to try and increase incrementally by constantly checking your watch. It automizes the training quite a bit.

I am not relying on the weather or time of day.

I currently run on the treadmill at the gym twice a week before work, because I refuse to run in the dark outside by myself. It’s just the perfect solution, especially during the winter month when it’s hard to work around the daylight hours (I usually leave before sunrise and come home after dark during the winter month). The treadmill prevents me from making up excuses.

What’s your relationship with the treadmill?