The Treadmill that Saved Marathon Training

If you read my marathon story, you got a brief homage to my treadmill, but it really doesn't do it justice. For starters, I am an outdoor runner. I learned to run during a drought, through a very hot summer. I hated treadmills and only relinquished the fight to run inside after TWO close calls running outside near sunset in fall/winter. At that time, I joined Lifetime Run and used the gym treadmills. If  you haven't heard about it, Lifetime Run is a great way to get to know other runners, keep yourself accountable by weekly social runs, and really get the chance to mentor or be mentored by another runner. I personally help newer runners to improve and motivate them toward new running goals. If you have a Lifetime Run group in your area, I highly suggest checking it out. Anyway, I digress....

It was summer of 2013 when I started to consider running a marathon and stumbling across the article for medals I found the Little Rock Marathon. I was sold, if I was going to run a marathon, it would be the one with a big honkin' medal I could brag about for years. I looked up the date. CRAP! An early March marathon meant training through the winter. Yuck! That meant short days, cold weather and the possibility of ice and snow. Despite the idea of training through winter I signed up for the race.

I was a couple months later when I heard something about the Farmer's Almanac predicting an especially harsh winter. DOUBLE CRAP! That was about September and I then began to plan my training. I needed a treadmill and not just any Walmart special....I needed something that could take the mileage necessary to train for a marathon. I run tested treadmills at secondhand sporting goods stores but found a lot of overpriced aged models. I went online to try and research what models would be best for me and found Treadmill Doctor. This website was a wealth of information and contained unbiased reviews of all sorts of treadmills by price range. If you're in the market for a treadmill, this is the place to start looking for your best model option. It's also where I found and fell in love with the NordicTrack C1750 model. It had everything I needed: a strong motor, a wide and long belt/platform, a reliable cushioning system, and the mechanics necessary to take the kind of beating marathon training would dish out.

 

http://www.nordictrack.com/fitness/en/NordicTrack/Treadmills/commercial-1750-1

Not to mention, it had two things I absolutely wanted as my own guilty pleasure: the ability to run downhill and the iFit screen. I wanted this for one reason and one reason only, so I didn't get bored with running on a human hamster wheel. The iFit allowed me to run maps. I could run a course during training and it would automatically adjust the incline and decline as I ran. I was amazed and just had to have this fabulous, wonderous thing that made running inside less mind-numbingly dull!

The only hang up was that this treadmill was well out of my price range at $1,500. I had about $700 to spend on a treadmill and it was looking more and more like I was going to have to settle on the Walmart du jour. I searched Craigslist and eBay for options and stumbled across a C1750 for sale on eBay. It was another runner who was moving and needed the money. It had a full extended warranty and only 40 miles logged on it! That is either amazing luck or perfect timing. She wanted $1,100 for it. Still too expensive. I offered $700. No deal. I was lucky enough to talk with her and explain that i was going to be training for my first marathon and she really wanted to see her treadmill go to another runner who would really appreciate it. BINGO!!!! We settled on $900. $900 with full warranty for the exact model I had been drooling over!?!? HECK YEAH!!!!!

I got my C1750 around the end of September and immediately used the iFit maps to run my relay legs of the Bourbon Chase. I was able to train for the terrain of my event that was a state away! I was in love!!! Of course, winter approached and so did marathon training. The Farmer's Almanac was right and we endured one of the coldest, snowiest winters on record. My training went on, day in and day out, in the semi-comfort of my unheated garage. I ran beaches and Amazon rainforests on iFit. I even programmed in 5 mile sections of the Little Rock Marathon and ran it bit by bit to get acquainted with the course. The constant elevation change kept things interesting and seeing my progress on Google maps gave me something to look at besides the walls. I even added my iPad to the holder and ran while watching YouTube videos with "epic music"

It all helped the time pass and take my mind off of the fact that I was running on a treadmill. That was probably the only thing that made my 20 mile training run bearable indoors and I couldn't have made it had it not been for the amazing timing and luck that landed my dream treadmill. Don't get me wrong, I'm still an outdoor runner and have been beyond ready for spring to get here, but now when it's cold or rainy I don't hesitate to hop on the treadmill instead of bum about the weather.

Get your own C1750 here.