My Relationship with the Treadmill

I have a love/hate relationship with the treadmill. If it was on Facebook, our status would read ‘it’s complicated’. And as I take on the Couch to 5k again, our relationship is tested once more.

One pro in the argument for the treadmill is that it is consistent. Whether raining, sleeting, snowing or hailing, it sits in the gym, waiting for me. One bad thing is that it eliminates any excuse I can come up with not to run. And I can get creative.

Another nice thing is that I can exercise AND watch TV! The bad thing is that the TVs in the gym are on mute and on the sports channels. So if I want to know what they’re talking about, I have to read the captions. And that opens a whole new can of worms.

I am an arguably graceful person. I grew up dancing, and dabbled in figure skating with some success. One would think I could run in a straight line, right?

Ha! WRONG!

I am incredibly awkward on the treadmill. I press that ‘Quick Start’ button and I suddenly find myself pitching to the sides. I’m so scared that I’m going to put my foot down half on the tread and half on the side and find myself twisted and mangled into the beast. I’m also afraid I’ll hit the back end, so I run so far to the front that I’m banging my knuckles on the grab bar or feeling the static shocks that come from the dry air.

The only way I can forget about the fact that I’m on a thin ribbon of doom is to stare at something straight ahead. If I deviate from center, by entire body does as well. And looking straight ahead can be a pleasant or um…unpleasant experience. It all depends on what (or who) in front of me. Tonight it was the windows to the pool area. It wasn’t the most *ahem* pleasant of pool sessions so I was forced to focus on my own reflection.

Oh joy. For the remainder of my 30 minutes I fixated on my ponytail swishing back and forth like a metronome so my gaze didn’t shift to my less than svelte thighs.

But I finished, checked day 1 of week 2 off successfully. And come Wednesday the treadmill and I will be on again.

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