Happy Tuesday!  Thank you for joining me and Jenn for another edition of Tuesday Topics.  Remember to link up with us!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Don’t forget to come back for later linkers! 

I like running outside and on the treadmill.  I know many people don’t like the treadmill.  In fact, many people HATE it and call it the dreamill.

Here are a few reasons why I like running outside:

• I love running outside because I can leave the house and get some fresh air.

• Sometimes I like running when it is dark because it makes me feel safe and alone in my own world.  I know it sounds weird but this way I tend to not think about all of the things going on in this world and just focus on ME.

• I like checking out the neighborhood.  It makes me happy to see some of the cats.  It makes me sad too because I wonder why they are out there.

• When I run in the neighborhood, I look for any houses that are for sale.  I also like to pick a house and imagine me living there.  Silly?  Maybe.

• I get my vitamin D.  

I haven’t run on the treadmill in years but here is what helped me get through treadmill running:

• Listen to fun music.   I have a variety of Spanish and English music and various playlists.  Depending on how I was feeling is the music I would pick.

• Watch TV.  Sometimes music gets on my nerves so I prefer to watch TV.  I’ve watched whatever is playing on the television or a show on my iPad.

• Change incline and pace.  I did my runs at 0% incline but made sure to change the pace.  I would set a timer for 1:30/2:00 minutes or 3:00/4:00 minutes and then change the pace (I would have 3 different paces) at the sound of the buzzer.  Or I would change it after each song.  This would make the run a bit more exciting and made the time go by faster.

• Break up the run into parts.  I never did a run without stopping.  Who wants to run 10 miles without stopping?  Not me.  For a run of that distance, I would run 2.5 miles, take a quick break, and run again 2.5 miles.  Then I would use the bathroom and/or get more water and repeat for the rest of the 5 miles.  Something similar could be done for 12, 14, or 16 miles.  The key is to not think of it as a LONG run of 12, 14, 16 miles but instead as short and quick runs with breaks in between. 

• Reward myself.   For me it would be a coffee, food, beer, or a new piece of gear.  Of course I wouldn’t do this for every single run but mainly on days when I had ZERO desire to run and needed some motivation.

The topic for next week – What are your favorite recovery aids?  Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!