During December, I noticed my treadmill skipping. It’s happened before, but Kyle has been able to lubricate it with silicon and fix the issue. When I noticed the problem last month, I told him about it, and he set to fixing it.
Only this time, when he lubricated the belt – it didn’t fix the problem.
Have I mentioned that I’m a lazy runner? I really am. I know it sounds like an oxymoron, but I run to eat. I enjoy waking up, hoping on the treadmill and running while watching my TV shows on my phone. Then, when I run 3, 4, or 5 miles, I jump off, head in the shower, and am ready for the day. I know I can run 3 miles in 29 min, 4 miles at 39 minutes, and 5 miles at 49 minutes. Outside, it varies. One day I can run 3 miles at 28 minutes – the next day at 33. It’s not consistent. And while it’s not a big difference, I do like the uniformity.
Having a treadmill, for me, is super convenient. First off, I don’t have to worry about weather. Rain, ice, or snow – I don’t worry about it. Because I can run in the warmth when the weather is below freezing, or when it’s storming outside, or, more often than not in Louisiana, when it’s hot as Hades.
Then, there’s the issue with children. I run a lot during their naptime, which is helpful when Kyle’s away.
Lastly, I don’t have to worry about dogs chasing me when I run on the treadmill. And, if you’re a runner, you probably know this is often an inconvenient issue.
That being said – my treadmill went on the fritz mid-December. And Kyle’s maintenance didn’t fix it. So what was I to do?
Well…run outside.
Again, most runners do run outside. Most runners hate the treadmill, and for good reason. It’s repetitive. It’s boring both because you don’t move and you don’t have inclines or declines. You can’t really run with a partner on a treadmill.
But – it is easy to get miles in.
I have been running less, that’s for sure. Turns out when I’m working, I actually am more productive in all aspects of my life. I thrive on structure and predictability, and over the Christmas holidays, we really didn’t have a lot of either. But I ran, often with a running partner, and I even found myself enjoying the sub-freezing temperatures (29 degrees is sub-freezing) and even the hills. (Though I did not like the one “naked” run I had to do without a partner and without music – quite boring.)
I ran solo on Christmas and had a doe and two fawns run right in front of me in the middle of the day! I felt my strength improve as I ran the piney hills of my neighborhood. I caught up with my running partner, who I generally only get a chance to see when we run.
It was good. It was grand.
But I did miss my treadmill.
Judith P Roberts 