Bad Treadmill

For the record, I don't like treadmills. They are boring and I don't feel that they accurately represent pacing, distance and speed. Sometimes though, when the weather is total crap or its dark out and I don't want to run alone, they become a necessary evil.

This morning I needed to run and bike for 45 minutes each. First, I opted to hop on the treadmill and beat any other early morning runners. At 515am, I hopped on and began my run. The first 10-15 minutes were mind numbing, but eventually I got into a rhythm and the minutes started ticking by. 29 minutes in and just when I was going to hit my fastest pace of the run, the lights on the treadmill went out and it stopped.

I turned it off and on again. Nothing. I unplugged and hit the reset button. Nothing. I unplugged, reset it and turned it off and on. Still nothing. There I was - just in the high point of my run, hot and sweaty, not finished with my prescribed run and a dead treadmill. I had 3 options. 1) Bag the rest of the run, 2) Get dressed and run outside or 3) Run the stairs in my building.

Option 1 - no way. I cut my run short Tuesday because I didn't feel well, but this time I was determined to finish it. Option 2 - Would have worked as it was getting lighter out, but I still had to bike after the run. Plus all the clothes changing would have been annoying. So, Option 3 it is. Run the stairs. Fortunately, all the windows were open on the stairwell. This made it cool and well ventilated. 16 minutes of running 4 floors of stairs and it was time to hop on my bike.

I had to ride easy for 45 minutes now. I kept the pace steady and constant. I really enjoyed riding easy. It was really quite pleasant, even though it was fairly boring. I listened to music the whole time on my nano. Last time I rode early in the morning and had my TV on, the speakers caused the neighbors to bang on the walls (even though it wasn't loud). Stupid Subwoofer. So headphones it was this time around.

I suppose I should call the new management company about the treadmill. Maybe they can get it fixed soon. It is nice to have that backup, although hopefully the weather will be nicer in the coming weeks and ALL runs will be outside. Besides, Treadmills are evil.

My work is done for the day, which is a great feeling. Now it's just up to me to enjoy my day :)