Touting the treadmill

How can I possibly tout the virtues of treadmill running without expressing how I really feel about this endeavor? A quick answer: I can’t.

I have to admit that I find running on a treadmill as entertaining as watching New Year’s resolutionists ungracefully trudge through an elliptical machine workout at the local YMCA. One thing you can say about life on the treadmill: it truly doesn’t pass you by. However, if I’m going to knock this form of exercise, I should mention a few benefits that running on a padded machine will provide a runner on the mend.

First and foremost, a good treadmill reduces the impact on a runner’s joints, which is a welcome relief to someone like me who is recovering from a lower leg injury. A tender shin is extremely grateful for this machine’s absorption of energy instead of the continual jolts to the joints that running on a hard surface delivers.

Pacing yourself is much easier when you have speed, timing, caloric expenditure, etc. calculated by the treadmill’s electronic brain than whatever rudimentary guesses we come up when timing ourselves with a wrist watch and running a measured course. An interesting point was brought to my attention in a recent running magazine noting that there can be quite a discrepancy in a course’s calculated distance – especially trail running – when using the various wrist-worn GPS devices that are so popular with runners these days.

Treadmill running means you never have to worry about following the latest weather updates, unless an electrical storm is looming on the horizon. All that cold-weather gear you received for Christmas? Go ahead, leave it in the closet. Worried about the stress your body endures running on a hot summer day? No sweat if you’re jogging in the confines of an air-conditioned gym.

There may be quite a few advantages to running indoors on these cold-hearted beasts, but there is definitely no substitute to life on the road. The smell of the outdoors, combined with the wind in our faces and what lies ahead being a veritable path of opportunity, make for an irreplaceable and somewhat seductive combination. Oh, what strange bedfellows we make!

Personally, I can’t wait for the day when I run those first steps on the asphalt or a nearby trail. The incessant jarring aside, I’ve yet to experience a feeling more satisfying than the time-released endorphin rush that accompanies a good run on a sun-soaked day.

One last note: Don’t be surprised the next time you’re cruising on a Sunday afternoon if you see yours truly huffing and puffing back on the road again.

• For those of you who like perusing the Anniston Runners’ Web site, you can think John Moore for the new look and continual updates. One feature you shouldn’t miss is the monthly spotlight on an area runner. This month’s tribute is to a local running icon, Ken Brewer.

• If you’re an information junkie like me, one man’s name frequently pops up when conducting a quick check of area competition results. That person is Frank Bowie, and it appears that if there is a race within 90 minutes of Calhoun County, he’s in it and usually finishing somewhere in the Top 5 in his age category.

• Watch out, Birmingham! There is a local 5-person relay team readying itself to invade next month’s Mercedes Marathon. A strong group will hopefully represent Calhoun County proudly, led by “The Fastest Woman in Calhoun County” Linda Hearn, John Moore, Patrick Porteous, Audrey Turner and, last but not least, Mr. Slow Legs himself, yours truly.