I don’t know about you but all I see when I walk into a gym with lots of treadmills is… hamster wheels. All these people running in place, right next to each other, crowded into one place called a “cardio theater”. In my mind its a hamster theater. So as you can probably tell now I am not a runner. Honestly the last time I ran was about 3 years ago, my roommate for the summer was an avid runner and she got me to run outside, and I kind of started to like it. But that likeness quickly ended when the snow set in, in Ann Arbor, MI. And I never got on a treadmill or ran outside since. I found other ways to exercise. I recently hit a plateau in my workouts and after starting this blog and reading others I have been inspired to run again. Believe me, this is a big deal for me. I dug out my special running shoes from 3 years ago, don’t worry they were brand new so I am good to go, and ran my first mile back on a hamster wheel yesterday.
It felt pretty good, but once I hit a mile, I was starting to get bored like I normally do. But to overcome this “boredness” and make something out of my return to running I have decided to… wait for it… run my first race ever. This is a big deal for me, especially since I hate running. Now for all you experienced runners out there don’t make fun of me, it’s only 4 miles but that is a lot to me and I have 4 weeks to get ready for it. I will be running in the Eighth Annual Run As One Presented by JPMorgan Chase (4M) which honors the former Chase Manhattan Bank chairman Tom Labrecque, a lifelong non-smoker who died from lung cancer at age 62. My grandmother was a smoker and died of lung cancer, so I had a specific reason for picking this race. The race is on Sunday, April 11th. Now since I have never run in a race before and I have never seen one I have no idea what I am getting myself into. I will probably come last because there are a lot of serious runners in this City but at least I can say I did it. And luckily I have my good friend running with me, except for the fact that she is a runner, which means she probably won’t be running with me but I know she will be out there somewhere. So wish me luck, I will keep you updated on my progress!
Image from Impact Lab.
Filed under: MISC Wellness Info | Tagged: Hamster Wheel, Treadmill, Run as One, JPMorgan Chase, Chase Bank, Tom Labrecque, Running, race
Hello! My name is Kristine and I live and work in New York City. Since I have been here I have realized how hard it is to live a healthy lifestyle in the City. I will write about all the new classes and gyms I try along with tips and tricks I learn along the way. 
Believe me you won’t come in last! 4 miles is a long distance, you will be great! I’m doing the 4 miler the week after if you want to do another one.
. Let me know if you ever want to go for a run.
Good Luck! I”m sure you’ll do great. I don’t like running myself. Especially on a treadmill like you said. I understand the boring being the same thing over and over. I’m excited to hear how your race goes.
Goodluck with the treadmill… I can usually stand the boredom for the first few miles… the last couple start to just get awful. Hence the reason I’m trying to take my running outside as much as possible now that the weather’s nice!
That is AWESOME. Good Luck!
I have just gotten into running and unlike everyone else I love the treadmill or hamster wheel. I am running in my first race tomorrow.
Yay for running your first races! Just know that the JP Morgan race is way different than the Run As One race. JP Morgan is one of the most crowded races of the year and not quite as organized. The other races in the park are a different experience. I’ll be at both, so maybe we’ll “run” into each other. =)
[...] great to have a break and find other things I enjoy. I love running but I still can not stand the hamster wheel or treadmill as others call it. I have been finding ways to overcome this, by running outside, [...]