Ménage à Trois?

Defined as a three sided relationship, then possibly.

Perhaps we should just call it the 3 Musketeers of training days. Now that I've got your attention with either a food reference or other thoughts, it's on to my long account of the three different runs I accomplished yesterday.

A quick background: I have been front loading a fair amount of my training into this week early to prepare for an upcoming unit movement. (Notice: even a family vacation gets called by military terminology.) This week has been used to prepare the Spartan clan to head south for the winter, if even for just a short while.

For my marathon training, I had to step up and suck down two 20 mile runs in two weekends. In addition to that, I am building a base that I can use to carry me through the 10 training calendar days while only conducting smaller runs. The longest run I forecast from Thursday on is about 1 hour long.

Yesterday began with my youngest DD making everyone above the age of 6 feel like a weakling, even if it was for just a moment. Household-6 and I then arranged to meet at the Stewart Field track later in the AM to train together.

At the same time I was leaving work to change and head out to the track the "electro-leash" went off. Household-6 had completed one 1 mile lap, and had wussed out retreated into the gym to use the treadmill. On the RunnersWorld.com forum that I lurk on we had been having an almost heated discussion lately about the inspired-by-pure-evil, belt-feed, consistent-pace, indoor torture devices. Having goaled myself for 14 miles today, I wasn't thinking that I could make it happen on the dreadmill!

I thought to myself, I will give the dreadmill another chance. I will look at the beastly machine impartially and put mileage on my legs with it. Then I would be able to report my findings to both you (or is that both of you), my running, blogging friends; and my threadmates on RW.

So begins the Ménage à trois. Sort of.

As to not do all my mileage on a treadmill, I ran from the house to the gym. This gave me 3.4 road miles for a warm-up and made me feel good saving the environment. (My small contribution by not having both family vehicles parked in the same place.)

Then began the most monotonous 6.5 miles I have ran since I tried a treadmill in Iraq January. That last time actually brought me physical pain that I have never felt before or since. I tried to look at the televisions, listen to music, chat with the wife, look at women in the gym and imagine myself outside. I tried a practice a water stop, where I slowed the treadmill, jumped off and moved to the nearest water fountain, got water and tried to get back on before the >expletive< machine cut off. I tried a practice bathroom break where I do the same thing as the water break, except I empty myself. I succeeded – be happy for the small victories!

Then I received blissful confirmation. HouseHold-6, who had once needed to be coaxed outside off the treadmill, now was an official treadmill basher. She dotted the "I" and crossed the "T" by saying that running on the treadmill "sucked." Sorry for the strong language. In case you missed it … it sucked.

So, needing a few more miles to meet my daily goal, I took a ride home in the family assault vehicle (van). The heat felt good and the seat held me just so as we rode back to the house. We again split up to accomplish missions with both DD's simultaneously. DD1 had to get an immunization and DD2 needed a ride to her dance class. When HouseHold-6 returned, she suggested I knock out the last bit of my obsessive running tasks before we began our nightly routine.

I gleefully got ready and had only one place in mind. The trails. No place makes me feel closer to the natural feel of being a runner than pushing myself in woods, around the hills and through the creek bed.

I climaxed 5.5 miles later, finishing my three sided relationship with running … satisfied.

Anyone got a light? ... ;)

Bottom Line: 3 different runs totaling 15.4 miles.

1. Road: 3.4 miles in 27:05

2. Dreadmill: 6.5 miles at varying paces and times.

3. Trail: 5.5 miles in 41:26