what I occasionally feel like when running on the treadmill

No one likes the treadmill. It goes nowhere and there is no pretty scenery (unless you happen to have it positioned in view of beautiful eye candy.) And let’s be real: running on it feels like pure torture.

But on a day like today where the high in many places is barely five degrees, it can be useful. Especially when there are wind advisories and frostbite can occur within 30 minutes. Admittedly, I am not the biggest fan of the treadmill. Give me the road ANY day. But slowly, I have come to appreciate what I like to call the gerbilmill.

Running on the gerbilmill is a bit of a way to get away from other runners. I’m not sure what it is about me, but when I am outside running, too many times I have other runners coming up and touching me. It’s just. . . weird when it happens. Usually it is a “good job” type of pat or something, but why someone feels compelled to touch a stranger is beyond me. It isn’t the type of touch to alert me that another person is running close by and needs to pass me. That I can deal with. It’s the “feel a need to reassure yourself so you reach out and touch a stranger” stuff that creeps me out. Suffice it to say, if you’re a stranger, it is best to not disturb other runners. Continue reading →