You know that feeling of expending a ton of energy, but making zero progress? Usually...it happens at work for me. But, this past week it happened at home. 

I ran 54 miles, but went nowhere. 

That's because my wife was on an epic vacation to Alaska with her family while I stayed home parenting our two boys. Honestly, the hardest part was completing my morning runs. The only responsible solution was the treadmill in the basement. So, that's I what did. I ran on the basement treadmill for a grand total of: 

54 MILES and 8 HOURS over 6 DAYS.  

Ugh - I have a great relationship with my treadmill, but we are officially taking a break. 

Unlike a treadmill at the gym, which normally overlooks or is surrounded by other people, my treadmill faces a plain, white, brick wall. Exhilarating. 

Looking back, I got to wondering "What the hell did I do to pass 8 hours staring at a plain, white, brick wall?" It's a good question. 

So, here it is as I best remember. How I passed 8 hours on the treadmill. (For comparison, when I run outside I rarely listen to music and certainly do not carry a TV for videos). 

1. YouTube (3 hours) - My go-to. I have a TV over the treadmill with an Amazon Firestick. I binged watch YouTube clips, following my favorite YouTube Celebrities (it pains me to admit this publicly). I love these guys:

• Nick Bare (Topics: Fitness, Vitamin, Nutrition, and Entrepreneur) 
• Sage Canaday (Topics: Running, Ultra-Running, Marathon)
• Gary Vaynerchuck (Topics: Life!, Business, Digital)
• Dude Perfect (Topics: Amazing tricks!)
• Christian Guzman (Topics: Fitness, Vitamin, Nutrition,  Entrepreneur)
• And all Motivation compilations - I get pumped off these!

2. Stared at a Plain, White, Brick Wall (2.5 hours) - Seriously. It's crazy when I see the absolute number. As a disciplined practice, I run the last 30 minutes of every workout with no distractions to focus on my breath, stride, and cadence. Weird. 

3. Podcasts on iPod Shuffle (1.5 hours) - Jocko. Get some! My favorite podcast.

4. Ted Talk ( 1 hour) - I averaged about one per workout. This one on sugar coating our cells blew my mind (What the sugar coating on your cells is trying to tell you.)

There it is! All 8 hours. 

I guess time does fly when you're having fun - or while staring at a plain, white, brick wall while flicking through endless 4 minute YouTube Clips, getting amped by alternating motivational videos and podcasts, and pondering the deepest mysteries in a 18-minute stage talk format.