Just to let you know- this blog is no longer active. I'll be keeping up my 101 in 1001 list until its completion, but will not be writing new posts. You can read the post below if you want the long version. Thanks for the journey to all my friends in the blogosphere!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

The Treadmill: A Necessary Evil?

Confession: I have been bugging my husband, literally for years (which is impressive since we've been married less than 3 years) to get rid of our treadmill.

He bought it right after we got married, amid my protests, ironically, because I was the only runner in the family at the time. He used it for a while and I gave it a half-hearted effort, but it never really caught on as anything besides a clothes hanger. After some period of guilt about being a treadmill-hating runner, I forgave myself, declared myself an only-outdoors runner and have been advocating against ours ever since.

Confession #2: I'm eating my words now. It's freezing, it's icy, and I'm pretty sure my already low productivity would have sunk to zero without the treadmill the past week. Even though I still really hate it, I've been climbing on that machine every day.

Confession #3: My idea of a treadmill workout is one in which the screen reads "1.01" when I'm finished. As in 1.01 miles. I absolutely know that 1 mile does not a workout constitute. I also absolutely know that I'm not going to go any further on the treadmill.

I can. not. wait. for the ice to melt and to hit the open road and run 3, 4, maybe even 5 miles. (Let's be realistic- it's not going to be anymore than that until I've been running a few weeks again.) But until then, 1.01 is going to have to cut it.

What about y'all? Treadmill, no treadmill? Do you hate it, love it, tolerate it? I'm in near-coastal North Carolina so I cannot imagine the dilemma of someone living, say, in Michigan. What do you do?!

7 comments:

  1. I absolutely HATE running on a treadmill...however, much like you, I have been forced to with the cold weather, snow, ice, etc. Also, here in Middle TN, it gets dark before I leave work, so I am forced to run on the treadmill at least through the winter months!

    Glad to know I'm not the only one!

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  2. I love using a treadmill for speed work, but I go to the gym for that.

    My treadmill at home keeps trying to kill me by starting up at 14mph. Crazy.

    But I prefer outside running for everything else.

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  3. i wouldn't say i love the treadmill but with 2 young kids and hubby who works long hours, it has been the only way fro me to work out. i go to a gym and they have a kid room, kids go in and i can run on treadmill. we also have a treadmill at home that hubby uses. love ? not a love, but more of i am grateful for the treadmill

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  4. I am SO with you. I actually moved to Ohio a year and a half ago from Durham, NC, and I am having some issues adjusting to winter running. I am trying to get used to the "dreadmill", but I whole heartedly agree with your statement "a perfect treadmill run reads 1.01 miles." Hitting one mile seems nearly impossible.

    I joined a run club to keep me motivated to hit the 'mill at least once during the week, and we all bundle up and run outside once a week. I also invested in these: http://yaktrax.com/pro I haven't run in them yet, but my running store highly recommended them.

    I cannot wait til spring though. heck, give me temps consistently 35 and higher, and I will be a happy girl!

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  5. I actually just told the husband yesterday that I want a treadmill for Christmas. And yes, I am that greedy that I started thinking about this only two weeks AFTER Christmas, haha!

    I think it will be a lot easier for me to stay on track once we have a little one to chase around. And I loathe running on ice, which is what we have had on the ground since Sunday!

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  6. Girl! I'm with you! I despise the treadmill it's so boring and so unbelievably unnatural!....like you really run on moving surfaces? Right! Miles seem longer on it and dread it because the distance moves slower than if I were outside ... Hang in there! Spring is right around the corner :)

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  7. I'm with you...I'm not a fan of the treadmill at all! I will run on it when I have to but otherwise, I'm an all outside runner! :0) Hope the ice melts soon!

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