7 Reasons to Stop Hating the Treadmill

Ah, The good ‘ol dreadmill errr… treadmill. Many of us have a hate-hate relationship with it. I myself have grown to tolerate the treadmill. I admit it’s easier to deal with when runs are 6 miles and under, but, I’ve used it to run up to 14 miles. Not everyone hates running on a treadmill. Powerhouse runners and bloggers like EMZ run on them all the time and she even did her own 24-hour treadmill fundraiser on one! Lesley from Racing It Off also often turns to tread work without mention of dread. She clocks some serious miles on it too!

However, today I woke up with a groan at the thought of hopping on the treadmill… So on the heels of my post about being positive, I started to talk to myself about all the benefits of the good ‘ol tread.

So in honor of national treadmill day… (never heard of national treadmill day? Well that’s because I made it up…) I’m listing seven reasons why we should stop hating the treadmill:

1. Climate control. No ice, no rain, no snow, no heat or humidity, no cold weather gear, no coming home and waiting for your thighs to defrost or cursing the sunscreen that’s sweated into your eyes… Just go time.
2. Reality television. It’s so much harder to watch an episode of the Jersey House Wives running thru a park… Well. Unless your park is in the middle of Jersey (like mine) where you might sight a housewife or two…
3. A handy dandy dashboard. No figuring out where to carry your gels, hydration, music, towel, iPhone, uh, remote control for reason number 2. Treadmills have all kinds of cup holders to stash your crap. And talking about crap…
4. Potty perfect. Did that gel hit your tummy hard? Too much pre-run hydrating? Running so hard you feel like puking? Never fear, a potty is near!
5. No dogs, children or sidewalk cracks to trip you up. On my run the other day thru the hood, I made the mistake of running by a middle school just as the tweens were getting out. Oh, the horror. Weaving in and out of walls of kids with heads buried in their smartphones was a great time if you enjoy running a 20-minute mile. I’m also good at catching every little bump in the road just at the right spot to trip.
6. Mindless Miles. It’s not to say they aren’t worthy or important miles. Sometimes it’s just a relief to run without thinking of anything. I can blast my music and truly tune out. When I’m running outside I’m on heightened alert for above-mentioned dogs and sidewalk cracks, plus cars, bikers, predators and other things that can harm you. I like that I can completely zone out.
7. Hill and speed control. Wanna run uphill ? Well no need to go out and find one. That’s so old school. Incline it up, baby! Want to know what it feels like to run a 5 min mile? Set it to 12.0 and have at it. Good luck. Modern technology! I do like challenging myself to run faster and faster on the tread.

So what are your thoughts on our poor, often hated friend the treadmill? Love ’em or hate ’em? Join me and other From Fat to Finish Liners in posting your treadmill selfies on social media and tag them with #FFTFLtreadmillselfie