I’m moving and yet, I’m going absolutely nowhere
Treadmills bore me. Absolutely bore me zonkers. I’d much rather be outside, taking in the sun and fresh air. Or, rain and thunder as luck would have it here in rainy, flood-ridden England. And yet, in my forgiving and open-minded manner, every now and then, with a bit of trepidation, I return to the terrible beast.
My story this time is that when I signed up at the new gym for the fantastic outdoor pool, they mentioned that a personal assessment was included with my membership. I’ve never spoken with a trainer, nor set out a personal plan with someone who actually knows something about what I should be doing, so I figured this would be a good time to do it. Especially since I tend to under-utilize the resources in gyms because I feel too self-conscious and too worried I’ll hurt myself trying to use the weight resistance equipment.
I spoke with the trainer last week. I told him, I hate treadmills. Treadmills bore me. And yet, he still set me a plan that incorporates ten minutes on the sucker. Ten minutes doesn’t seem like a long time. When you’re soaking in a warm bath or getting a relaxing massage, ten minutes go by in a snap. But on a treadmill, ten minutes can last a LIFETIME, let me tell you, even with U2 pumpin’ on the ‘Pod. I set myself up on a machine situated by a window, facing the outside world, but that didn’t help. I tried thinking about how on Thursday I’m taking myself out to Minnis Bay for a run. That really didn’t help. I couldn’t watch the built-in tv because exercise time is “me” time in which I try to turn off worry and stress. The latest news brief on the recently foiled terrorist attacks is not conducive to 30 stress-free minutes.
But one thing that did keep me occupied, for maybe 45 seconds anyway, was this question. Why don’t treadmills simulate downhill courses as well as uphill tracks? You can set the gradient so that you are running a bit uphill. It must be possible to build a machine with the same gadgets in the back as in the front to lift the back end up to simulate the downhill part of a course. Not that I really care, I’d much rather run uphill than down. But, at the same time, I’m a stickler for balance and consistency. If you can run uphill, you should be able to run downhill.
And there you have it. Inconsistency: one more reason to hate the blasted treadmill.
Tuesday, 3rd July 2007 at 22:37
I don’t hate the treadmill as much as an exercise bike, but that’s not saying much.
I once read that walking or running backwards is a good way to cross-train and do something good for you, muscle-wise, that i cant’ remember. But have you ever tried to do that on a treadmill without looking like a weirdo? I tried it at the gym a few times and got some curious stares. Plus its harder than it looks, at least for a spazz like me.
Wednesday, 4th July 2007 at 7:27
Ha ha. Awesome! I’ve done a lot of silly things, yet this does not happen to be one of them. However, if you really feel the need to have backwards day at the gym, the elliptical machines are far easier to “switch direction” on. Except, I usually tend to let go of the arm bars when grooving the backwards motion. It’s less awkward!
Friday, 13th July 2007 at 16:31
I too loathe the treadmill…I wrote a little bit about it and a few ways to make it less hellish…
p.s. does your body hurt more when u get off the treadmill for a rather long run? mine does. there’s another reason to hate them.
Wednesday, 22nd August 2007 at 12:07
[...] miles on the treadmill today,” the realist knowing I would make it only a half a mile before utter boredom struck and I chucked it in for the snack bar), I finally gave in and resigned myself to the gym. I turned [...]