The Gazelle on the Treadmill Next to Me

Running is a mind game. You can go from feeling great to feeling down - all within the same run.

That happened to me this week. I normally go to the gym before work during my in-office days. It’s quiet, not busy, and a good environment for me to run. The majority of my training is done on the treadmill at work. I don’t see it as a “dreadmill”. Weirdly, I find it relaxing. A good opportunity to run in a controlled environment, at the exact pace I want, while listening to podcast or music.

This week, I went to the gym as usual, and began a knee-rehab run. 5.2-5.7 MPH on the treadmill, 0% incline, aiming for 60-75 minutes depending on how I feel. I use these runs as an opportunity to maintain my endurance, but not worry about speed. Speed/interval runs seem to be the biggest source of pain for my knee, so running at a comfortable Zone 2 pace seems productive toward my recovery.

For the first 30 minutes or so, I felt great. Breathing easy, heart rate right where it should be. It was a little more labored than I hoped for, but I’m coming off a little cold so I’m chalking it up to that. I was deep in a good podcast, when someone jumped on the treadmill next to me.

All good - that’s obviously normal at a communal gym. He started going and I wasn’t thinking much of it. My headphones were drowning out the pounding of our feet, so I was hardly able to notice him - until about 5 minutes later.

I slowly started hearing louder footsteps through my headphones. The treadmill was wining more than usual - the motor was working harder and harder to push the belt underneath his feet. I looked over, and the guy was cooking. His face looked calm, and his body was gliding. His knees were driving high, and his kick was noticeable. Finally, I glanced at the speed on his treadmill. 10.3 MPH. 5:49/mile pace. WTF.

I’ve seen people max out a treadmill - I’ve even tried hitting that pace as an all out sprint. But this guy, I mean gazelle, wasn’t stopping. He kept going - for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes. It kept going on an on. I was totally amazed. I finished my 70ish minute run, wiped down the treadmill, and proceeded to do some light strength work in a corner of the gym. Once I finished about 10 minutes later, he was still at it!

When I run races, I will run around folks that are at roughly the same pace as me. That makes sense - the faster runners are not near me. So, I don’t often get to see someone who is absolutely lightning. When I see people all-out sprint on the treadmill, they normally will go for a 1 minute, 2 minutes max, and often at a slower speed. The gazelle was blowing my mind.

I do watch professional runners run on YouTube, and know that people are capable of running this speed. But there was something unique about witnessing it and running next to it. Truthfully, it made my run go from satisfying to disappointing. I was reminded of my injury, and how it’s taken a toll on my training and speed. I was reminded that even in peak form, I’m nowhere near that sort of skill. It reminded my how far I have to go to get to my sub 3 hour goal.

Though the gazelle reminded me of my setbacks and shortcomings as a runner, I’m reminded by a pretty pervasive mantra in the running world - “Run your own race.” It’s hard for me not to look at the faster, fitter, more talented runners out there without feeling down on myself. But, if I compare myself to the runner (well really, non-runner) I was just a few years ago, I can see significant progress. If I compare myself to the runner in high school PE, I’m pretty astonished. I’m going to try to remember that progress as I continue rehabbing my knee and training toward the sub 3 marathon in December.

I talk to a lot of folks who sound interested in running, but are not doing it because they can’t run fast, or far, or long. They may not enjoy it because of the running itself, but also because they fall short of what they perceive as “good.”

Running to me has evolved from a chore my PE teacher would make me and friends do to a beloved activity I get to do. It’s hard - it sucks at times (maybe most of the time). But there’s reward there. It might be delayed gratification. But I’m convinced everyone can reap a reward for themselves through running. The gazelles will keep “gazelling.” But it doesn’t mean we can’t run next to them.