'Mill or Mud?

This weekend is my only "big" weekend of training between IMoo and the Columbus marathon (which is only two weeks away!!). It still isn't a god-awful weekend, either... but I guess having five weeks between races will do that.

Anyway, the schedule is as follows:
Today- easy recovery with speedwork/strideouts (1hr)
Tomorrow- 8-10K race
Sunday- 18miler

So, the question is: Do I do the 10K inside or outside? There aren't any local races this weekend (trust me, I checked)- the closest race is in Marquette, about two hours away, and its a 5K.

Run it on the treadmill
Pros-
  • easier to keep consistent pace than running outside
  • can pick a pace and stick to it without having to mentally tough it out
  • can run in shorts and sports bra
  • wear my ST3s
  • can wear my iPod and get pumped up/high cadence
Cons-
  • some think its boring (I don't mind it though)
  • does it make me a wuss for not running outside?
  • I won't be able to mentally get tough and push through running by myself at a faster pace
Run it outside
Pros-
  • Fresh air!
  • Mentally prepare for race day and if/when I have to run parts of the marathon alone
  • Fall colors are out in full force
  • I have a GPS to keep my head in the game...
  • I could probably do it all downhill if I wanted to, making my turnover high and my time faster (is that a good thing?)
Cons-
  • Being able to run a 10K fast, by myself, is a challenge
  • It's really crappy weather (drizzly cold rain, high winds, 40F), so I wouldn't necessarily be going for time and I will have to wear tights and a long sleeve
  • If I don't go for time, then how will I know if I performed the way I was supposed to?
So I need your advice! What do you think I should do, and why?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

treadmill is the way to go.

Marlene said...

I'd be tempted to hit the treadmill, but I sometimes worry that it's not actually teaching me to hit and hold the pace since it basically does it for you - know what I mean?

Either way, good luck on the weekend workouts!

JGOOD said...

run it outside. I run quite a bit of my miles on a treadmill. Though if its a time trial, you need to build that toughness inside you for outside races. Running on a treadmill is like being a robot. I run on the treadmill because I can do it during my lunch time. I turn it to a 6 minute pace and I am running that pace and so on. I try to do it outside and it becomes all mental, on the treadmill its not mental its moving your legs as fast as you set the machine. You need mental toughness!!!
Jamie from Vermont

Velma said...

Treadmill would be fine. I use it a lot to help me learn pace. You have 18 the next day outside, so that should give you eneugh mental training. Good luck!

Charisa said...

I hate the treadmill (I call it the deathmill) so I'm probably a little bit biased :)

Good luck!

Unknown said...

Fresh air is always my vote...

AZ said...

I think the treadmill gets a bad rap. Don't feel bad about not being out in the fresh air.

Megan L. Killian said...

I totally MUDDED it folks! it wasn't actually all that muddy... and I hit a 10K PR, 42:25. Is it weird that my previous best was a 42:33 on trails?? :-D