Rob Murphy

How do treadmill runs help you?

I don't know about you, but I find TM running more difficult than running on the road. Maybe it is because I am intimidated by the machine. I always get a feeling that if I can't keep up with the machine I am going to get sucked in.

I try to do at least one tempo run on the TM every week and I think i really helps. In fact tomorrow is my TM day.

I run with sustained intensity longer on a treadmill than I do on the roads where I tend to be wimpy and loose focus.

I'm with you on your current outlook. There are many things I love, but what's the use of doing all of those things at an unsatisfying level? Rob, you are a gentleman and a scholar.

In college we used to say you couldn't be great at running, school, and girls at the same time. In real life I guess that becomes running, work, and family. I think you can nail all 3 well for periods of time, but it's very hard to do consistently. Something usually gives.

Hey Jake. I was thinking that a lot of this is about energy and a lot of that has to do with age. What I've written might not apply as much at 30 as it does at 50.

One thing you are not good at is aging yourself Rob. I've seen that you improved from your late 30s to your late 40s. That took commitment but I wonder what you felt like at 37 (my age on Friday). I am pretty sure you dealt with some of the same struggles and doubts then. Continue to age slowly and enjoy the ride without any more pronouncements that you are too old!

In my experience, it still hold true. Maybe the absolute numbers change a bit, but I've found if you spread yourself too thing, you don't have the energy to give your best to everything. I've done that to myself plenty of times. I find that I do better when I focus my energy on a couple important things, then let the things of peripheral importance fall into place wherever they do.

Interesting you say that. There's a Chinese life tenet that says of the three most important things you choose at any point of your life, only two at a time will succeed, and it's not your choice which two.

Without a doubt though, the most successful older runners are the ones with simple lifes. Remember your comment after meeting Tracy Loken last year? It's funny that I was always jealous of the running strength I thought coaching brought to your personal racing. I'll bet this decision will get your running back on the track that you want after a while.

Treadmill running is for hamsters.

And Rob Murphy. Hamsterman. I think I'll change my name on the blog.

Not much competition for the Hamsterman moniker.

I accidentally run faster than on the road mostly because there's nothing cool to look at and then there's ac when on the treadmill.