Indoor Day

I decided to run on a treadmill today, since the weather was cold and windy outside. The wind was the kind which would make me keep my head down the whole time I was out there, which would only make things more dangerous. I went 3.5 on the treadmill, and did the whole thing in under 7:40 pace. I ran the first mile in about 6:30 and the last half mile in 6:00 pace (the top speed of the treadmill).

After my warmup, I reset everything to 0 and started off in 6:30 pace. Sometime after I reached 0.75 miles, I pulled the emergency stop out by mistake. The clip on the cord doesn't even work--it's rusted and corroded and the spring is stretched so it doesn't spring anymore. I had the cord tucked in the waistband of my shorts. Somehow, I pulled on the cord hard enough to pull the stop button out and shut down the machine. I didn't figure out what happened fast enough to start before the machine reset everything to 0, so I started again from the last distance I knew I had passed. I guess it's kind of like having to stop for traffic lights out on the road.

I've been thinking about treadmills, and in my opinion, these are the advantages and disadvantages of running on a treadmill:

Advantages:
1. Safety--It would be very difficult to get run over by a car, especially when your gym, like mine, is on the second or third floor above street level.
2. Convenience--The treadmill is always there and often available.
3. Temperate--You don't have to worry about rain, snow, ice or wind when you're on the treadmill.
4. Pace Running--You can learn to run at a precise pace, since the treadmill goes at a constant speed.
5. Amusement--It's possible to listen to music or even watch television from a treadmill.

Disadvantages
1. Chopped Stride--The running surface of the treadmill is too short, even for one of my modest stature. I can't imagine the difficulty someone 6'2" or taller would have on one of these machines.
2. Pace--The fastest a treadmill (at least all of the ones in my gym) will go is 10 mph, or 6:00/mile pace. I enjoy sprinting for portions of my runs, particularly the last half mile. It would not be unusual for me to run the last half mile in 2:40 or less, and that's impossible on one of these treadmills.
3. Convenience--All of the treadmills in the gym might be in use at any time, making it impossible to get a run in if you won't go outside. In addition, you can only use your gym's treadmills when the gym is open (of course if you've got enough disposable income to be able to afford a really good treadmill...) At least the street is literally always available.
4. Dizzyness--I can't be the only one who experiences dizzyness after stepping off the treadmill, can I?
5. BORING!--It is neccessary to bring music or have access to a television in order to keep interested. Next time, I'm bringing a cd player with Born to Run in it to keep myself going.
6. Almost forgot--that stupid emergency stop--It's there for a reason--to keep you from going off the end of the belt--but the cord must be too short or something, because it seems to be too easy for me to pull the cord and stop the whole thing.

Anyway, I think I'll still go mostly on the streets, sometimes on grass, and only run the treadmill occasionally.