Yeah, I really am looking to buy a treadmill. I hate the treadmill. The thought alone makes me shudder. But, for reality's sake, I need to make friends with the treadmill if I am going to continue running seriously while also logging 2000+ hours at the office and being a decent parent and wife at the same time. The one I have is just not going to cut it. When we moved to Wisconsin 3 years ago, we got the cheapest possible TM we could find. Yep, I purchased the floor model from a closing Sports Authority for $300. Well, it proved to be worth about $3 for running purposes. After 30 minutes or so, it starts randomly speeding up by .5 to .7 mph. Then after 50 minutes or so you hit no man's land and it can conk out at any time, which is quite the scary experience. So it is time for an upgrade. The icing on the cake was a couple of days ago my mom, who is seriously overweight, called me and asked me if I would go treadmill shopping with her as she wanted to start walking every day for 30 minutes. Perfect, Mom. You can have mine. It is a win-win situation. And my dad was thrilled about the idea too. Parents get in better shape and I get a new mill.... So, what to get?
I have done a ton of research and it appears the consensus is that if you are a "runner" you need some real horsepower to deal with the speed and time we like to pound out (for me it is more time than speed, but still). Realistically though, I will only run on the bad boy when I have to, such as 5 am or 9 pm...which I guess will be Monday through Friday... Now I have always been a purist and wanted to run outside, but I get paranoid running in the dark alone. Yeah, I have pepper spray, but that only freaks me out more when I have that strapped on my hand. I may as well run with an AK-47. And yes, it is funny because I live in a sweet little town in good old Wisconsin. But then again so did Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer. So back to the treadmill shopping . . . .
I am leaning toward this or this as they have gotten the best reviews. Anyone have any suggestions? The things are so damned expensive! I realize you get what you pay for, but I am noticing they now have built-in tvs, fancy stereo systems, etc. I don't need that. I just need a comfortable ride that I can cope on without it going poltergeist on me. Any and all input welcome. I will also have to name the thing if it is going to cost me over a grand.
For now my running is still pretty pathetic. I ran 8.5 yesterday and felt like I could have run forever. A nice feeling compared to my more "normal" runs of late where I just want to go home. I am still amazingly slow, but my HR is returning to normal levels. I still have a wee bit of a cold. Once I kick that, I am hoping to be in a better place. I am not yet ready for speed work though so my 5K in 9 days should be an ego-kicker to say the least.
Oh yeah, and I start work on Monday. I am so excited. Yay! Adult conversations all day long!!! :) Heh, of course some people will be worse than my 4 year old, but overall it should be an upgrade. It will be sweet to get a big fat paycheck too. I haven't gotten paid in 6.5 years!!
Oh yeah #2, I finished the quilt top for my race t-shirt quilt. 
It rocks! I initially contemplated using medals and their ribbons as sashing b/w the shirts, but didn't b/c: (a) I'd never wash it, and (b) I'd never use it. So I got some ribbon that looked like typical medal ribbon and appliqued it on. It looks cool!! I can't wait until it is finished!
whaddayathink???
5 comments:
Your quilt looks amazing. Lawyer by day, runner/mom/quilt-maker by night? I admire your energy.
I don't know that much about treadmills except the one I have. I have a Reebok 8400c, which is a rebranded Icon treadmill, that we bought for about $800 as I recall. It's a fold-up model like the F80 and F85. I think it's plenty sturdy for the running I do on it. I've used it for about a 50-mile week when it was icy without a problem, but I can't speak to the long-term reliability. The treadmill reviews are very positive on both, so I'm pretty sure you'd be fine either way.
That quilt is hilarious.
hilarious?
Mindi:
I think that quilt is very cool. That's a great way to save those shirts.
I got a Pacemaster Platinum last year on sale for about 1800. So far I'm very, very happy with it.
I also know a few people who have the Soles and they seem happy with them as well.
If you haven't seen it, treadmilldoctor.com has some really good reviews.
Hilarious. I'd love to snuggle up with a bunch of races. It's a bit funnier to me than it is to you because I've never heard of most of the races. Maybe I should have, but I've never heard of the idea either. It's just novel.
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