Tenorio: Stuck inside this winter, you might try a treadmill

Question: How do you pick up those frequent-runner miles when you’re stuck inside in a snowstorm?Answer: On a treadmill, of course!Sticking out the Blizzard of 2010 inside a Holiday Inn in Danbury, Conn., there wasn’t much to do except track the weather on TV and shovel the car off. Luckily, the hotel has a gym.On Monday afternoon, my girlfriend and I went downstairs to the gym. She tried the elliptical machine, while I went on one of the two treadmills for my first time ever. The result: about three miles of stationary running.There were some things to get used to. Instead of moving my arms back and forth when running, I had to grip the bar on the machine (at least for the first two miles; then I slowed down the pace and was able to run in place while moving my arms and not losing balance). Through trial and error, I had to figure out a speed that felt right. And once the run was over, the room seemed to swim around me, albeit briefly.I can see some positives to running on a treadmill. For people who love statistics, the numbers are right there in front of you. Not only could I gauge my mile count, I could also tell how many calories I burned (about 300) and how much time it took (don’t ask). If I wanted to challenge myself, I could press a button to make the machine speed up ? and if the sweat and my left knee were telling me to slow down, well, I could press another button and do that, too. Once it was over, I could get a cup of water and a running magazine and relax. And thanks to technology, a storm that shuts down airports, subway stations and roads can’t keep runners from running.uDid anyone get some good running-related holiday gifts? I was happy to find a GNC pedometer in my “stash” this year courtesy of my girlfriend.In previous months of running, I had to use other ways of assessing how many miles I’d run. For instance, there’s a sign on Massachusetts Avenue near the Arlington-Cambridge line that lets passers-by know that it’s 1.6 miles to the Jason Russell House, an Arlington landmark of the Revolutionary War (seems a few Lynners played a role in the fighting around the area). Well, I ran from the sign to the Russell House one day and knew I’d done 1.6 miles.Along the Minuteman Bikeway in Cambridge there are also helpful signs that indicate how far it is from, say, the Alewife MBTA station area to Harvard Square. And not far from Lime Rickey’s restaurant in Swampscott, I was delighted to see mile markers on the pavement.That said, though, I’m looking forward to the day when I can attach the pedometer to my jacket or running pants and have a more scientific way of tracking distance. Here’s hoping the snow gets cleared away soon.uI was sorry to hear that Swampscott High track coach Dom Finelli has stepped down from his position due to a disagreement over coaching salaries.I don’t know all the particulars about the issue, but one thing I can say is that Finelli worked very hard to share the accomplishments of his Big Blue teams with the larger community. His dedication will be missed.Rich Tenorio writes a weekly column on running for The Item. He can be reached at [email protected].