Running, even on a treadmill, is NOT "a waste of time"!

I don't know what the deal is, but it seems like this statement is everywhere these days... trainers at the gym, other health and fitness blogs, tv, internet all saying "stop wasting your time on the treadmill". Now, I kind of get what they are saying... in terms of weight loss (which, hey, it's January, so what other possible goal could anyone in a gym possibly have?) jogging along at a moderate pace at a 0% incline is not probably going to make you loose massive amounts of weight. Of course strength training and interval training are helpful to weightloss and overall fitness, but this hardly means that treadmill use is a waste of time. I, as a runner, refuse to believe that running (even on the treadmill) is a waste of time! And I really really wish people would stop saying that it is! Even treadmill running can be quite challenging, if done correctly.

I myself did a very challenging hill workout (which i'm hoping will help to prepare me for my upcoming trail race) on the treadmill last week. I stole the idea for the workout from: http://instephsshoes.blogspot.com. Personally, I did not feel it was a waste of time AT ALL. In fact, IT KICKED MY ASS! I should really do hill workouts (outdoors and on the treadmill) more often.

Here's the recap:

Sunday - 7 very chilly miles (8 degrees outside, 2 pairs of pants and 3 shirts.... I'll still take it over hot and humid!)

Saturday - 5.5 Chilly miles (below 10 degrees - but the sun was out!)

Friday - 4 miles easy (on the treadmill BTW)

Thursday - rest

Wednesday - Cardio intervals (on random cardio equipment at the gym) interspersed with mainly upper body weights.

Tuesday - 5.1 miles total with Treadmill Hill repeats as follows: 1%, 2%, 1%, 4%, 1%, 6%, 1%, 8%, 1%, 10% for one minute each. Repeat twice.

Monday - Full Body Weights

Weekly Milage Total: 21.6 Miles