Monday, March 7, 2011

Treadmills

A significantly less serious post for me, but I’m really grateful for treadmills.

I’m an avid runner, and really love to run outside, but living in the northeastern US, sometimes it’s virtually impossible to get outside. After an unfortunate frostbitten incident about a year ago, I lost my will to brave the cold, even with multiple layers. And during ice storms, the moisture damage to my shoes and the risk of slipping are far too much for me to comfortably handle. Fortunately, the treadmill offers me a consistent way for me to avoid the bitter ferocity of the outdoors but still keep my legs from atrophying.

It’s boring, yes. Very, very boring. But it’s better than nothing. I can still listen to the rhythm of my feet, and the fact that there aren’t any cars or other people around makes it easier for me to completely lose myself in wandering thought. I can almost seamlessly leave my body and forget about my unchanging surroundings. And of course there’s the occasional luxury of earphones, too…

I find it easier to push myself on a treadmill. If I have a specific goal, it’s harder to pace myself outside (especially since I rarely carry a timepiece with me). But on the treadmill, I can simply set the speed to exactly the level of performance I want to accomplish, and see if I can last.

Now, I know the treadmill isn’t ideal. It’s flat, so it doesn’t offer the natural challenge of hills and valleys of the outdoors, and since it’s a running feed, you’re technically not propelling yourself forward (only getting yourself pushed back). But it’s still challenging if you compensate for it, and it’s amazing as a last resort.

That’s it. Nothing deep or opinionated or maybe even insightful, but I had a good run today and I wanted to pay thanks.

2 comments:

  1. There's treadmills that can tilt, so you can simulate running up or sometimes even down a hill. Good fun, and great exercise! (I don't have the long-time stamina, though. Short distances are more my thing)

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  2. You're post is inspiring! THANK YOU!

    We JUST moved to a new house and the old home-owner's wife decided she didn't want her, what looks to be quite expensive, treadmill. I was in heaven since it's one of those fancy ones that tilt, test your heart rate (granted it's easy to do by yourself) and tell you how many calories you burnt based on personal info you put in.

    I love slapping my headphones on and just going. No worries about being hit by a car or any other interferences.

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