Swapping the Trails for the Treadmill – Louise Tidbury

Over the past year, life as we know it has changed dramatically in many ways due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  For many of us runners, we have felt this in a variety of ways; postponed or cancelled races impacting on training plans with goals becoming temporarily obsolete, social distancing meaning that running clubs and training groups are a distant memory.  Lockdown’s are making getting the miles in ‘safely’ more difficult.

My goal for 2020 was to focus on speed training to gain my Boston qualifying time.  However, soon into the year it was clear that I was going to have to adapt and re-focus; shifting into a different gear and looking for a different goal.  This wasn’t a problem for me as I am a positive person and like to view every challenge as an opportunity so I decided that I would put aside the speed training and instead focus on keeping my training going and maintain my fitness, in a way I felt was safe given the pandemic.  So, I turned to the treadmill… the marmite of the running world.

Most runners set themselves clearly on one side of the fence or the other. They either love it or hate it.  I had always been fairly ambivalent either way and have always seen the treadmill as a tool to be used if needed but it has never featured heavily in my running career.

Fast forward to 2021 and I have a much fonder relationship with the treadmill.  I am firmly in the ‘love it’ camp. Those of you who are settled on my side of the fence will no doubt be nodding along as you read this, others will be shaking your head in dismay and crying ‘why God, why?’ to the heavens.  Well, dear doubters, let me tell you why and see if I can sway you into my mindset.