Can't Walk a Straight Line

Many know that I have no experience walking on a treadmill. Today I got up at 5 a.m. to try it out while I'm traveling.

It took a few tries to figure out how to set it for what I wanted, but once I got going, it was nice. I set the speed for a little slower than my usual speed until I felt comfortable with walking on it. I was doing really well until I turned my head to look at something - then I would start to lean funny or get too close to the edge. I could not walk a straight line unless I was looking straight ahead!

After about 20 min., I slowly increased the speed to see how fast I could go. I got down to a 14 min per mile when I chickened out.

There are two things I decided about treadmills: First, even with an audio book to listen too, it was boring. I kept looking to see how much time I had left. Second, if I had to train on one all of the time, I'd never go more than 2-3 miles. It wasn't just boring, it was mind-numbingly boring. If I didn't feel like training on a specific day, I think it would be too easy to just quit. At least when I'm outside if I walk straight out 2 miles, I can't quit - I still have to walk 2 miles to get home.

Still, it was nice to set a speed I wanted to achieve (and be able to keep at that speed) and to see what my heart rate was. If I had access to one, I'd probably use it once in a while.

Regardless, at 5 a.m. it is dark here in Anaheim. If I want to get in my miles, I have to use a treadmill. I'll give it another try tomorrow. This time, though, I think I'll try watching CNN to see if the time goes by a little bit faster and I'll keep my eyes forward so I don't fall over.