Texas heat has been making the news, and we are spending as much time in water as possible. We started off the week at my dads house, where my kiddo learned how to ride a mini dirt bike before we drove back to San Antonio. We spent the rest of the day unpacking, and I was able to get in a short incline walk in the afternoon hours on our new treadmill. As much as I love being outside, midday Sun in Texas during the summer months is absolutely brutal. So this treadmill has already come in handy several times over. Treadmills tend to get a bad rep in the running community, so I’m sharing a few treadmill benefits to help even the score.
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Monday morning, my alarm went off and I just could not will myself out of bed. After a busy travel weekend, I just needed the extra hour of morning sleep. Fortunately, I was still able to get my miles in during my lunch break….once again on my treadmill in the comfort of my climate controlled home. Gotta make sure those internal temps don’t get too high, after all! The rest of the week was pretty hectic in terms of work, and I was really happy to hand in some time sensitive deliverables that kept interfering with my preferred lunch time workouts.
I had to make a few adjustments this week to my training schedule because of work, but I was able to get in some good workouts between working out at home and dropping in to some afternoon workouts at CrossFit. By the time Friday rolled around, I was so relieved to close my work laptop and put an end to the week. We streamed Luca Friday night with out son, and I have to say it was such a cute movie! Definitely recommend for any readers with younger kids.
Saturday I was lucky enough to have meet up with Lindsey from Female Athlete Nutrition and get in some trail miles at a local park. The trails at Eisenhower are a little more technical than what I have been running since I found out I am pregnant, so we went EXTREMELY slow, and I’m happy to report that we both stayed on our feet the entire time! After my trail run, the boys and I checked out a spring fed pool here in San Antonio for a couple of hours. I was amazed at how beautiful the water was, and the huge Cypress trees that were around the pool were amazing.
As much as I miss the trails (and I really, really miss them), having this treadmill at home saved my cardio more than once this week. I know having a treadmill at home isn’t an option for everyone. But if you’ve found yourself questioning whether buying one is a worthwhile investment, here’s a few treadmill benefits that have me convinced the home treadmill is worth its weight in gold.
Treadmill Benefits
- Time Saver – When you’re a busy mom, or just a busy human, sometimes every minute counts. Being able to just walk downstairs, in the first tank and shorts I grabbed and threw on, and then being steps away from the bathroom can save me about 10 minutes. Sometimes that means an extra miles worth of time!
- Flexibility – During the summer, it is just not smart for me to head outside after about 8am (at the absolute latest). It gets so hot, so fast, and there have been more than a few times that I’ve had to completely ditch a run because I just didn’t get out the door fast enough. Being able to run inside, where it’s not 95 degrees by 8:15 means that I can sleep in and still get my run during my lunch break instead of before work. I had a feeling that I will be very grateful for this flexibility once my nighttime sleep is more interrupted in a few months.
- Fake Hills – When I lived by the coast, one of the most frustrating parts of my training was how difficult it was to find hills. The area was just pancake flat, and every runner knows that hill runs are one of the best way ways to build strength and speed. Having a treadmill with a decent incline can mean that you don’t need to travel to find hills, and you have complete control over distance and pitch. Something every type A runner will appreciate!
- Multi-Tasking – I love listening to a good podcast, or just tuning out on the roads and trails. But it is really nice to be able to read a little or catch up on some neglected Netflix series from time to time. I also love being able to hop on for a walk during Zoom meetings where I am not presenting.
- Kid Supervision – One of the hands down biggest benefits for moms around the world! I am really looking forward to taking baby B out for some stroller runs, because I loved having that time with our son 7 years ago. However, there were also plenty of times where the most convenient time to run was when he was napping, and having a treadmill in our home would have been amazing in those moments. Now that I’ll have two kiddos to keep an eye on, I don’t have any doubts that there won’t be times where I’m just not up for dealing with a stroller and bike-bound kid. Being able to stay home and keep an eye on what’s going on while getting in my run is going to be a sanity saver for sure.
- Pace Control – Finally, I’ve had so many new to running clients that have really had a hard time learning how to moderate their pace. It’s a right of passage to learn to start slow by starting out too fast and dying half-way through a run. Sometimes working in a few treadmill runs, where the pace is controlled and steady, can help runners learn how easy paces should feel.
Related Post: Treadmill Tips
This Weeks Workouts
Total Miles: 22 Miles
Total Workouts: 4
How the Run Felt
This weeks schedule was all over the place, and I was so thankful that I had planned a deload week. All of my runs this week felt good and easy, and I tried to tack on a mile or two walk afterwards when I had the time. It’s not as exciting being on the treadmill, but having a little more flexibility this week was the only way all of my runs were going to get in. Running still feels comfortable, even with the growing belly. I haven’t had to consider a support belt at this point, and with all the heat outside, I am REALLY grateful for that.
The highlight of my running week was definitely my Saturday trail run. It was nice to have a running buddy to chat with, and even though some of the rocky area’s made me nervous, the change of pace was much needed. The temperatures were actually really mild Saturday morning, and I’ve found that the trails tend to warm up just a little slower than the roads. So even though the run took a lot longer than most of my week day runs, I wasn’t nearly as hot towards the end.
How the WODs Felt
In full disclosure, my energy this week was pretty low. It could have been the extra intense workload, the extra intense heat, the fact that I am 25 weeks pregnant, or a combination of all of the above. I didn’t have the best motivation, but I still got all my workouts in, and survived the rising temps. The workouts were actually pretty solid, and once I got going, I was happy that I ignored my low motivation. I’m still feeling pretty strong with my lifts, but I’m definitely slowing down during the metcon portions.
What I’ve Been Listening
I stumbled onto to a new true crime podcast this week called Algorithm, and it is so interesting and different. It’s about how a reporter found a way to use data and analytics to find groups of murders that have a higher probability of being linked to a serial killer. Through his research, he found several victims of a serial killer that potentially could have been saved if his research had been investigated further by local authorities. I’ve also been really hooked on The Devil Within, and am looking forward to catching up a little on that series over the next week.
What Went Well
Not having to wake up at the crack of dawn every single day.
What Went Shitty
Honestly, nothing this week that I can think of.
Plans to Improve Next Week
Next week will be chaotic with both of the boys’ birthdays, so I’m just planning to play it by ear honestly.
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