Treadmill Love

I bought my first treadmill about 8 years ago after my husband had a heart attack. They told him that he would need additional physical therapy after he got better and he really enjoyed the treadmill at the hospital. So i got one. Then i put it in my living room, strategically faced close enough to the TV yet far enough away from the kitchen.. brilliant! Not a ton of room left in the living room after the treadmill took residence but enough to maneuver around the training equipment and shove your butt on the couch with a bag of cheesy poofs.

I am not going to lie about it, deep down inside i really bought that treadmill for me. I just did not want to admit it at the time. While i did not want my dear hubby to fail at working out, i really did want him to use it, i knew that it would not be his thing after a few tries. I felt a bit like Lex Luther. Maybe telling people "Oh that was for Alan, but since he never uses it, i figure i should try it..." Diabolical...

Now, i am not an impulse purchaser at all. Most people call me cheap. I take it all in stride, yes, i admit, i am cheap! So what. Everything i purchase is well thought out and agonized over months, maybe years, before it is purchased. I never buy anything that i do not need, i steer clear of malls like the plague, i am not easily influenced by used car salesmen. As a matter of fact i am the used car salesmen's worst nightmare.

But when i saw that shiny new treadmill in the store, i have to say, i was instantly smitten with it. I remember the first time i laid eyes on it, like a love sick cow. I did some research, agonized for months and then bit the bullet and went to one of those upscale fitness equipment stores in yuppie hell. Only top of the line models for this place. I told myself as i drove over, that "I am just going to look, thats it..." Well when i saw it....ahhhhh. It stood by the window, clean lines, sturdy frame, beautiful streamlined True Treadmill.

The sales lady saw me. She new she found her sucker. She asked "Did you want to try it?" She must have seen the longing in my eyes and the little piece of drool hanging from the left side of my mouth. She had me at "Would..." Yes Yes! Turn it on! It took all of about 15 minutes before the sale was made and i was walking out with receipt in hand. I had a glazed look in my eyes.... did i really just spend THAT MUCH on a treadmill????

Anyway, they delivered my shiny new treadmill. I was giddy with anticipation. Hey, it was not for me. It was for my husband right? The ultimate act of a caring spouse. I did mention that already, right? And i am not going to lie, i spent months pestering him to use it. I said "It is so smooth, It hardly makes any noise, try it, just once." I started to wonder if i put a little bag of cheesy poofs on the control board if it would lure him in? Not a chance. He was of course, favorably unimpressed with it. He patted me on the back, thanking me for for thinking of him, used it about twice and then parked his butt on the couch with a bag of cheesy poofs in hand. I guess it is hard to teach an old dog some new tricks?

I was sad that after all my hubby went through that he would be so unimpressed with this gorgeous piece of machinery. I guess i could have pestered, bugged, bribed and threatened my husband but that would not have made the situation any better for either of us. It was not my job to move him to better health, that was his. So here this treadmill sat.

Poor Sir Dready, i thanked him for being gracious enough to help me dry my socks and underwear for several months after the fact. I dusted it off from time to time and looked longingly at it but for some reason i could not bring myself to get on it. I think maybe i was intimidated by him? I could not fudge my miles or my speed anymore, roll out the door for an hour and go "Oh that must have been at least 7 miles! I was flying." The buttons were scary to me too. I was not used to having to control so much of my running environment with a button. Then of course there was always this underlying fear that if i got on it and it was too fast wouldn't i go flying off the back of it?

Of course, all of this unfounded. After a few months i finally got up the nerve to try it. It was smooth. There was no noise. Oh oh... i am not as fast as i thought... Either way, it started to be a good thing in my life. I got to the point where i could not avoid him, he was right there as you walked into the living room from the garage. He was not going anywhere, i had to get on. Then once or twice, became a steady habit for me.

Since then, Sir Dready has been sold and replaced. I used my new treadmill quite a bit too. Some days are better than others. I do miss Sir Dready though. I am not sure why i sold him either. I think at the time i stopped using it and figured it was a waste to have. I think deep down inside, looking at him every day and not using him made me wracked with guilt. I thought, if i sold it then i could recoup some of my loss, right? The minute after the sale was made, i knew i made a horrible mistake. The woman knew what she was buying too. She found the ad that i put on craigslist and was over in a flash. You could tell she knew i was selling it for a song, and she was right.

So now i have a cheapy one. It sits in my office, so i see it and use it, which i do. It rattles and shakes, makes so much noise that if i do not have headphones on i find myself trying not to yell if i need something. It makes very loud beeping noises and to this day i have not quite figured out how the programs work. It seems that sometimes they do and other times they don't anyway. Oh well... maybe one day this dready will kick the bucket. Secretly i am hoping it does so it gives me an excuse to visit that fancy fitness store again. I have kept myself from going, i know once i go, i will be lured into those beautiful machines again. I will not be able to control myself. And this time i will not be able to say "it is for my husband!"