Running with Captain Kirk

As you know from my previous posts, we got a ton of snow in Maryland. To be precise, we got about 50 inches of snow in about a week of time. Government offices (where I work) were closed for 4.5 days. We did not see a snow plow for a week. Needless to say I've been spending time on the treadmill. Typically this would be ok with me, but I'm also training for a spring marathon, so this means I have to spend a lot of time on the treadmill.

Saturday was my long run for the week. I was scheduled to do 18miles. On Friday, I took a walk to assess the neighborhood and local streets and knew I'd have to do this run on the treadmill. The sidewalks were not plowed, and the roads, though slightly cleared, had no shoulders and in many cases only one lane was plowed. So I knew I'd have to start mentally planning for this indoor run. The only way I've been able to get through the long treadmill runs was to watch an action movie. Chick flicks just don't do it for me (not sure they ever do), and dramas are too boring. Comedies work sometimes, but can also be too boring. Action/adventure movies seem to keep me interested enough to get through the long treadmill miles.

For today's run I chose Star Trek. I saw this movie in the theatre and loved it. I love origin movies, and this was one of the best. In fact, with the time travel and all, it actually re-wrote the Star Trek history and opened the door for many more movies. Anyway, this is not suppose to be a review of Star Trek, just an example of the type of movie that gets me through 18 miles on the treadmill. Great characters, great interactions, great story, and great action..... just what I needed. I started the run kinda slow (8.5 m/m) and kept it that way for about 5 miles. I then pushed the pace to about 8.2 m/m and the incline to 0.5%. I ran this was until about 8 miles. At this point, I stopped to get some water and a GU ( less than 1min). I then increased the incline to 2% for the next mile. After mile 9 I deceased the incline to 0.5% and upped the speed to 8m/m (I was feeling pretty good at this point). After mile 12, I stopped for some water (less then 20 sec) and a short stretch. Between mile 12 and 15 I played with the pace, upping and lowering it as it felt natural. Never less than 7:30 m/m and never greater than 8:30 m/m. At Mile 15, Spock and Kirk beamed aboard the Romulan ship and the real action began!!. At 16.2 miles the movie ended and I quickly stepped off the treadmill to put in a CD from the Big Bang Theory (great sitcom) to finish the run. Finished 18 miles in 148 min and 25 sec. an 8:15m/m. I'm pretty happy with that.

My left knee only bothered me slightly, and the quick stretch really helped it. I was tired and my shirt was soaked and salt stained, but I did it. Not only was this my longest treadmill run, but my longest run ever. I'm pretty proud of myself. My training calls for a recovery week next week, and my first 20-mile run in two weeks. Hopefully the roads will be better by then, but if not, I'll have to find another good action movie, and hit that treadmill again!