Going Nowhere

Santa put a lovely new treadmill in my basement!  So now I can go nowhere at whatever pace I like.

I did a minimal amount of due diligence research before taking the plunge (as it turns out, Santa needed a lot of direction). Consumer Reports had an overview and a buyer's guide and ratings, which I relied on heavily.  The main guidance I got from them was this:  the lightweight and "portable" ones are really not sturdy. The heavier fold-able ones are sturdy enough for walking, but if you want to run you should not get a folding one. I want to run, and I have the space to keep it.

Then I went to the Treadmill Doctor.com and read their reviews, and figured out my price point.  It can go very high very fast, and I put myself at $2K all in - which is the bottom of the high end price range.  This would get me a very sturdy, big platform, quiet, with built in heart rater monitor treadmill.

I decided on a Sole77, based on reviews, and traveled up to a big box exercise store that carried them. They didn't have that model in stock, but had others by the brand.  Another point Consumer Reports emphasized - try before you buy.  Features include how wide the tread is, how big overall the platform is, how the controls are configured, and where the water bottle holders and ipod docks are.  I liked the set up and figured out the controls.  But it turns out the not very helpful salesman couldn't order the model I wanted, even though the store chain's website said they had them.

Sidenote:  for within $50 of the same price of the model I wanted, they had a Sole85 which Treadmill Doctor says is the finest folding model made.  If the salesman had been more enterprising, he might have talked me into getting that instead, and I probably would have been quite happy with it. But he wasn't so I went home and went to buy on-line.

I was going to buy via Amazon, but I stopped to read their reviews. They talked about how big it is, how delivery goes over the threshold period, and you have to assemble it yourself.  They spoke of issues with that, with time estimates ranging from one to eight hours, and calls to the customer service center.  I was within a click of "buy" on Amazon when I decided to try to shop locally one more time.


I briefly considered my friend's advice about Craig's List.  There is a big market in lightly used exercise equipment around, as New Year's resolutions fall by the wayside. But the information I had gotten about difficulty in moving it and setting it up, and some comments about needing to adjust the belt, made me shy away.  I consider myself handy and more than capable, but I wasn't interested. The fact is, for this purchase, I decided I had more money than time to invest in the project of acquiring the treadmill.  I was just anxious to get moving as quickly as possible.

I went to a smaller specialty place and they didn't have the Sole brand. But they did have the Precor S.27, at the same price point, with the same features and good reviews.  They would deliver it and set it up for free.  I was in the shop a grand total of fifteen minutes, and the deal was done.

In order to make room for the big thing, I had to do some major rearranging and cleaning in my basement, which had devolved to become simply a storage place for all the stuff I don't use but wasn't ready to get rid of.  There will be trip to the shelter to donate some winter coats, and I had to scrub the floor from the last flood. Ironically, that work day burned more calories than any day in November!  Already the treadmill was making me more fit, and I didn't even have it yet!

So now I have to use the darn thing to justify the investment. It arrived Wednesday, and my girl and I figured out how to push all the buttons and make it work. I'm thinking I may use it some in the evenings, though I'm trading off the exercise for later bed times, and I need to figure that out. This morning I woke with the symptoms of a head cold, but I headed down to the basement in my jammies and slippers, clutching a cup of coffee rather than water, and listened to NPR while I strolled along at a fairly slow pace. Finally the caffeine took hold and I got up to a brisk walk, and felt better for it.  Just a few minutes, but so much better than spending the same time sitting on the couch.

I mentioned I wanted to run. I aspire to run in a 5K.  This is as huge to me as a marathon is to some people. I can walk forever, but running is a very new experience for me.  Right now, two minute intervals are all I can manage, and that at a speed some guys walk but that my short legs turn into a jog.  I have tentatively picked out an Earth Day run at the end of April here in Silver Spring.  But I'll start on a "couch to 5K" training plan in January, and see how I do.  I'll keep you posted.