A little over a year ago, I found myself snowed in. I resorted to the elliptical, a machine which I feel bears even less merit than the dreaded suckmill.

It appears we’ve come full circle. The other day my workout was, once again, on the elliptical. And, just like last year, I had a difficult time swallowing my pride. It wasn’t until I yesterday’s outdoor run that I saw the wisdom in my choice. Long stretches of unshoveled snow, high snow piles, and ice-caked sidewalks make running outside almost as unsatisfying as the elliptical.

In less whiny news, Christmas has been kind to me. In addition to my new television and a very warm coat, I received an addition to my burgeoning supply of winter running gear. Gail gave me an Under Armor baselayer and tights; she also created a useful place for storing them that should prevent any future fiascoes (like the recent one). I now have a big plastic container with the following message attached:

A message from my running gear.

I hate treadmills. Hate ‘em. If I could, I would never use them– but this is sadly unfeasible. It seems like situations will always arise that send us indoors to that inexhaustible manufacturer of monotony.

Nothing drove that fact home more than the two feet of snow that blankets Bethlehem. The streets are icy and the roads buried beneath snow. All in all, it’d make for a dangerous, fruitless run outside. I knew what a responsible runner would do. My long run of the week would take place indoors.

So this responsible runner ran 12.5 miles on a treadmill, nonstop. My iPod won’t stay in my sweaty ears, and the TV didn’t seem to be working. It was miserable.

On the plus side, I’m injury free and I can actually offer you loyal readers some mile splits. I haven’t been able to keep track of my pace since my Forerunner drowned in a sea of sweat, so this is quite exciting for me. Anyway, here goes:

Miles 1-4: 6:40 Pace.
Miles 5-12.5: 6:18 Pace.

It was a grueling training session, between the boredom and the unusual intensity (you’d think that they’d conflict, but no—it’s a double whammy). I had decided that I needed a reward by the time I hit 12.5 of my 13 mile workout.

That is why I was seen yesterday afternoon, sprinting a half-mile around campus, wearing nothing but my running shorts and shoes. A wholly-earned victory lap in the snow. Because, dammit, being a responsible runner only gets you so far.