Faint praise for the treadmill

Today's run (treadmill): 25 minutes

I'm going to blame the transition from vacation to work for my sluggish performance this morning.  Even though I'm an early riser while on vacation, there's a big difference between waking up at 6:00 AM versus 3:45 AM. It probably didn't help that I set a 2% incline for the first 2/3rds of today's workout.

A year ago I probably would have braved the weather and gone outside, despite this morning's 11° temperature. My dislike of the treadmill experience used to outweigh the discomfort of freezing conditions, but I've finally accepted the treadmill for what it is. I even appreciate how I can change conditions like speed and elevation with a single touch. I'll reluctantly admit that, on an extremely cold morning, the treadmill can be the better choice.

Still, I far prefer the trails or the road, and I can't wait to get outdoors this weekend. I may have been better off resting today, but since I started the run I felt I needed to finish it. Around the 15 minute mark I realized I wasn't at full strength. I decided to drop the incline rather than hurt myself further. I did step up the speed a little when I did that, but not by much. Tomorrow, I will do an elliptical workout and (hopefully) on Friday the temperatures will be back in the 30's and I'll take to the streets once again.