Yelling "Shoot!" from the Treadmill
I occasionally have to do my long runs on the treadmill. It can be pretty awful to undertake this task...9, 10, 11+ miles on a treadmill. I once did a 19 mile run on a treadmill. In truth, it's pretty good training for psychologically enduring whatever may come my way during a marathon.
It is usually weather or an upset stomach which puts me on the treadmill for a long period of time. To make this task bearable, I try to find something on TV to watch that has a strong narrative line that keeps me reeled into the story, as opposed to watching the miles pass 0.10 mile at a time. My new gym provides a TV with each piece of cardio equipment, so with more channels than I have at home, I can usually find some kind of "junk TV" to watch.
I like detective shows: old, new, reruns...it doesn't matter. I just like detective shows. I think that the intensity or thrill of a show helps me with my runs, too. My adrenalin is already pumping, so it's pretty easy to get sucked right into the excitement. In fact, one time when I was running on a treadmill I became totally engrossed in a TV show. As a good character pointed a gun at a bad character, I caught myself saying out loud: Shoot! Shoot him! Of course, I would never have been this wrapped up in a show at home to do such a thing. Let's blame it on the adrenalin. I was reminded of this today when I was running next to a man who, with arms flailing, made a moaning sound. I thought: Oh, no! He's injured himself!! Where's the red emergency button?? Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw that he was not injured. He was just watching a disappointing outcome of whatever sports team he was viewing. Maybe he does this at home; maybe he doesn't. But, regardless, under the circumstances, it's safe to blame it on the adrenalin.
It is usually weather or an upset stomach which puts me on the treadmill for a long period of time. To make this task bearable, I try to find something on TV to watch that has a strong narrative line that keeps me reeled into the story, as opposed to watching the miles pass 0.10 mile at a time. My new gym provides a TV with each piece of cardio equipment, so with more channels than I have at home, I can usually find some kind of "junk TV" to watch.
I like detective shows: old, new, reruns...it doesn't matter. I just like detective shows. I think that the intensity or thrill of a show helps me with my runs, too. My adrenalin is already pumping, so it's pretty easy to get sucked right into the excitement. In fact, one time when I was running on a treadmill I became totally engrossed in a TV show. As a good character pointed a gun at a bad character, I caught myself saying out loud: Shoot! Shoot him! Of course, I would never have been this wrapped up in a show at home to do such a thing. Let's blame it on the adrenalin. I was reminded of this today when I was running next to a man who, with arms flailing, made a moaning sound. I thought: Oh, no! He's injured himself!! Where's the red emergency button?? Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw that he was not injured. He was just watching a disappointing outcome of whatever sports team he was viewing. Maybe he does this at home; maybe he doesn't. But, regardless, under the circumstances, it's safe to blame it on the adrenalin.
Lol!
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