So, the other day I was reading an article in Runner’s World about this dude who was complaining about having to run on a treadmill because he was recovering from an injury.  He just went on and on about how much it sucked and he couldn’t believe that he was in his parent’s basement running on their crappy old treadmill.  At the end of his treadmill run he pretty much considered himself cured and decided it was time to get back out on the pavement.

While reading the article I was a little annoyed.  I was annoyed mainly because I occasionally run on a treadmill, but not by choice.  You see, the YMCA is such a swell place to go because I can drop off my KIDS.  Yes folks, when you have KIDS you actually have to factor them into your running schedule.  It didn’t really sound like that dude had kids or that his wife could care less about his time spent running. However, is that real life in most cases?  Probably not.  You see, I take my kids to the YMCA because that is the only way I can possibly work out.  I can’t even run on my treadmill at home because I have to stop every 5 minutes to console a crying baby.  Therefore, YMCA = time I can run on a treadmill… yes, I did say treadmill.  I must say, though, that I am very lucky to have a supportive husband who doesn’t mind when I run with my team OUTSIDE on Tuesday evenings and very early Saturday mornings.  I do want to be home sometimes when my whole family is present.

So there you have it.  Sometimes treadmills are a necessity.  Okay, my story isn’t quite finished.  Today I ran on the treadmill at the YMCA and I think I had some of those negative treadmill emotions harboring in my mind (thanks dude from magazine!).  First of all, it sucks running and not getting anywhere.   Second, the sweaty gym members are not my idea of tranquil scenery.  Lastly, I just don’t feel like I can go as fast or as far on the treadmill (they must have it rigged or something because I felt like I was running much faster than what I actually was… why was I so tired??).  Never in the history of my running have I ever blatantly stated that treadmills suck… but really, they DO!