Who Knows Why...

I think I have made it clear that I enjoy running. When I run I typically have a TV or an MP3 going to distract me from the discomfort and the desire to check the treadmill display every 10 seconds that seems to slow the passage of time. When I get the rare occasion to run on the road I typically need the same distractions to keep me from checking my watch. When I travel I am familiar with the different hotels I stay at and which ones have treadmills and TVs. I knew the Hampton Inn I was staying in tonight has such a set up. I was so confident that I left my MP3 player at home knowing I would have a TV to watch. Only when I went for a run this evening did I discover that they have move their gym and have not yet installed the new TV they are planning for the room. It is the VERY rare occasion that I have run on a treadmill with no music or distraction. Maybe I should try it more often.

This evening I ran my 5 kilometers (according to the treadmill) in 24:15. 24:15!!!! And that was with the treadmill taking a good minute to come up to speed. 24:15!!! Let me put that in context for ya. Since I started running last August and loosing the weight, I slowly dropped my 5k time from 32 minutes, to 29:50 in the Corporate Challenge in September, and slowly down to just over 26 minutes on my best days on the most favorable treadmills. It was my long term goal to reach 25 minutes but thought I wouldn't get there until I weighed in under 200. Throw that limit out the window!

There are three possible "explanations for the 1:45+ reduction in my time but it is probably a combination of all three. First, this particular treadmill has been "kind" to me in the past. I have routinely run ~30 seconds faster than on the treadmill at home but I don't know if it is smoother, miss calibrated, the home one is miss calibrated, or if I just run harder when away from home. Second, with no TV or MP3 to distract me I focused on form and breathing the entire time. I recently watched the movie "Without Limits" about the life of Steve Prefontaine, a distance runner in the early 70's (probably the greatest American distance runner ever before he died in a car accident at age 24). One scene with his college coach caught my attention. His coach told him to run with his hips thrust forward, (BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP - That was the sound of me removing the metaphor used in the movie to describe this position that was originally in my post but deemed a bit to racy (no pun intended) and "ruining" how a certain reader of mine looks at all runners) and showed him how much easier it was to drive his knees forward and up. I don't know if it made all the difference but with no music or TV I focused on that technique and other good form lessons I remember from my high school days. It did feel easier and I felt like my strides were longer with no increase in effort. Even with no distractions I found myself getting lazy at times and had to correct myself periodically throughout the run. Third and perhaps most importantly, I spoke to my twin brother today. He informed me that he has begun daily recumbent bike rides in his effort to catch me. To imagine that I am 15 lbs lighter than my twin is unimaginable to the "fat one" for our entire childhoods and the motivation to retain that status is a POWERFUL driving force. Competition with my Twin has always driven me to some of my best efforts in life.

When I finished I walked out and told the hotel desk they really need to put a TV in there so I don't try and pull that crap again! It was the first time since the 29:50 road race that I actually felt sick at the end of a run. Different treadmill or not, I am confident that I didn't leave anything left in the tank when I finished and that is the most important thing to me when I choose to run for time.