If nothing else, winter running forces you to be creative.

As of late, I've been stuck on the treadmill most mornings. And, this is a sad statement to make on Dec. 18 (when there is plenty of winter left to go), but I'm sick of running on the treadmill.

OK, to be honest, I never really got into it this year. I just cannot find the motivation to run indoors. Though, I suspect the next two weeks of reckless holiday eating and drinking and subsequent weight gain will probably give me the get-up-and-go I need to burn rubber on the treadmill belt.

So, this morning, I'm walking on the treadmill (because I just cannot talk myself into a run) and I decided that I'd better find a way to make my walk count. I decided to crank up the incline for every song on my iPod. I started at 2 percent, then did the next song at 3 percent, the next at 4 percent, etc., maxing out at 10 percent incline before I fell back down to 2 percent and worked my way back up again.

I think it's the first time I ever actually broke a real sweat walking on the treadmill.