Run of the Mill

Friday 16th July 2010

I’m writing this on Friday afternoon, having run 8.2km (5.1 miles) on the treadmill at the gym this morning. I also ran 9km (5.6 miles) yesterday morning and the same on Monday. All on the treadmill.

This is not good.

Well, it is good in terms of my weekly mileage, which now stands at 21.5 – a definite improvement on last week – but not good in terms of the fresh air, spectacular views and general feeling of wellbeing that outdoor running brings. As opposed to the plodding, hamster-on-a-wheel, feeling of going nowhere, that treadmill running brings.

But sometimes it’s the only option available.

There is an article on treadmill running in the current issue of Women’s Running Magazine citing benefits such as; safety; access to showers; ability to monitor speed, distance and calories burnt; air-conditioned, weather-proof environment, etc. etc. And for me, with a young baby, the crèche facilities at the gym are the big attraction. (I have considered running outside whilst pushing Lily-Rose in her pushchair, which she would no doubt enjoy, but somehow I don’t think I would manage more than a mile at the very most!)

So, it has been the week of the treadmill.

The need for distraction is far greater when running on a treadmill, and these are some of the things I have done to distract myself:

• Listened to the BBC podcast From Our Own Correspondent, as well as Smartmouths and Imprint podcasts.


• Interval training – interspersing 10km per hour running with 1 or 2 minutes of extra fast running (12.5kph) every 10 minutes or so.


• Facebooked on my iPhone whilst running – easier said than done!


• Worried about my son Zac - he has had a particularly difficult week – his Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder seeming to “peak” on Tuesday causing him to shut down completely, to the extent that we couldn’t get him off the kitchen floor, let alone dressed and on his taxi to school. (You can read about Zac on his own blog, here.)


• Fretted about the impending 6 week school Summer holiday and how I am going to manage an out-of-routine Zac for that length of time, whist occupying 6 year old Luca and baby Lily-Rose. All my friends who are parents of Autistic children (many of whom I have met through the online Autism communities) are feeling the same way, and there is a general sense of anxiety as we face this particular mountain!


• Made a huge mental list of things I need to pack for our upcoming holiday at Freedom Families (for children with Autism and their families) on the Isle of Wight.


• Promptly forgot the entire contents of the list.

Well, it’s not been the most exciting of weeks, running-wise, but I have put in the miles, and hopefully have continued to increase my stamina. (And today’s 5.1 mile run was completed in 50 minutes and 13 seconds – a new personal best for me!)

My next run will take place outside. I am determined!

Distance run (in miles): Thursday 5.6 and Friday 5.1
Total mileage this week: 21.5
Total mileage for July: 43.8
Total since starting blog: 93.8