Treadmills are misleading

I'm almost done with my first three weeks of training for the quarter marathon at the end of March, and so far it's gone pretty well. I haven't missed a workout, and I've done the required distances, even though I always have to walk for a little while. Since it's so cold outside (and gets dark so early), most of my workouts have been on the treadmill at the gym, and I thought I was getting pretty good.

But today it's 40 degrees and sunny: a perfect day for running outside. So I laced up my running shoes, mapped out a route to West Hartford Center and back (which is just over 3 miles total) and set out. It was the most discouraging run I've had because I had to stop and walk so often. I maybe ended up running half the distance and walking the rest. It makes me feel totally unprepared and behind.

Of course, I should put this in perspective and try not to let it get me down. First off, it's 40 degrees outside, which is much rougher on the lungs than the 70+ degree air in a gym. Second, the route to Blue Back is VERY hilly, and even a little incline makes it so much harder to keep up the pace. Along with that, treadmills always help you a long a little bit, because the ground moves itself under your feet. Outside running is always harder. Finally, it's been three weeks. Cut yourself some slack, Liz; three weeks ago, you hadn't run at all in three months, and now you expect to run three miles over hill and dale with no trouble?

That's my rant/personal pep talk of the day. The end.