The treadmill.

I really hate working out on the treadmill. If I am entertained (with a TV), I can walk on it... but it just gets so boring. I am pretty much maxed out after an hour.

Today at the gym, all of the ellipticals (with TV's) were taken... so I resorted to the treadmill. And of course I ran right into a dilemma. Do I walk, or do I run. The longest I have EVER run on the treadmill is appx. 5 minutes. It is just so. boring.

I wanted to make the most out of my workout, so I decided to try this thing called 'speedwork' that all the blog people talk about. Maybe, maybe this would entertain me?

This is how my workout went:
0 - .25: warmup at 4.5 MPH (walking)
.25 - .45: 5.5 - 6 MPH (running)
.45 - .5: recovery at 4 - 4.5 MPH (walking)
Repeat run/walk intervals until you reach desired mileage (or time)
Half-mile cool down walk (3.5 - 4 MPH)

I repeated the run/walk intervals until I reached 2 miles, and then I walked .5 miles at an average pace of 3.5 to 4 MPH for a cool down. All in all, I finished 2.5 miles in about 32 minutes.

Granted, my speeds are a lot slower than the typical runner, so feel free to adjust to your desired pace. How often should one do 'speedwork' each week? Should I incorporate this at least once a week? While the treadmill is (I repeat) so. boring... I have no interest in doing speedwork intervals outside. I like to jog along at my merry little pace! Perhaps I will get faster in time!

Now that I have discovered that the treadmill is sort of bearable... I think I want to replace one of my elliptical workouts with speedwork. I need to work this in after-work though... I got ridiculously sweaty and it took me like 30 minutes to cool off, and it's cold outside!

In other news, I am too cheap to buy a foam roller. I know these are great tools to stretch out the muscles... BUT, Target has a sale - $17 for a foam roller. And, online they have a coupon for $5 off! So I got a $25 foam roller for $12! Boy did I feel like a bargain hunter. Now I need to learn how to use it! Any tips?