Walkies

A year ago, I bought a new/used treadmill. New for me, bought it used at a weird used equipment sports shop that is hilariously in the same plaza as the best ice cream shop in town, haha.

I didn’t really start using it on a regular basis until about April, though, when I discovered “virtual races”. See, I like the idea of doing a race and getting a prize – I have a crow-like affinity for shiny things – but I’m not so into things like training and showing up and other people. So imagine my surprise when I discovered I could get the thing I want (shiny things) and could do it at my own pace and alone?! PERFECT.

This is the treadmill I bought (I can’t remember if I’ve ever showed it off or not).

Pros:
It’s sturdy enough that Tim can use it if he wants (although he prefers to walk outside)
It’s got a place for a cupholder (two places, I guess one for my water and one for my beer?)
It’s got a ridge along the bottom of the console where I can prop my tablet to stream TV shows or movies while I’m walking, and it doesn’t block the screen that says how far I’ve walked and how fast I’m going
It’s got a lot of extras I can work up to, including inclines and pre-programed walks (various trails and hikes around the world) if you sync with iFit (and from what I understand, if you do sync, it will automagically raise and lower the incline if the chosen walk is up and down terrain)

Cons:
It was about six inches too big to fit in the back of my RAV and I had to send Tim to go pick it up and he was not thrilled with me.
We still haven’t figured out if there’s a way to turn it off and on other than at the power button on the bottom.
We also still haven’t figured out if there’s a way to get it to just stop – so it looks like I’ve done one really super long walk with pauses every day.

For most of the year we had it set up in the library, and I loved having it there.

I mean, sure, I am usually watching a TV show or movie, but I loved looking up and seeing all my books, all my friends. But we had to move it for the holidays, to make room for the tables to serve Friendsgiving and Friendsmas dinner on, and that thing is a beast so we’re leaving it where we moved it…. in my house office.

Huh. I do not appear to have a picture of it in the new location. But! The picture at the very top? Is the wall that I face now, when I walk.

That is how far I walked after I started taking it a little more seriously in about April. Which, at a hair over 400 miles, isn’t something to sneeze about but I’m excited to see much farther I walk this year now that I’m starting the year motivated. I’m almost done with a walk to around the Woodstock, New York area (the YesFit app uses Google Maps to show you where you are on their themed walks, complete with daily photos of where you are in relation to the Google Car/Street View).

And I already have the next walk, through Yosemite National Park, queued up in my app. Not sure where I’m going to go after that, but I’m sure I’ll have it figured before I get halfway through Yosemite. There’s a Viking one I want to do, and they have another five or six National Park ones. They also have the entire Appalachian Trail, although the medals for those don’t really do anything for me. Why yes, yes I do choose my races based on if I like the medals or not!

Oh, and in case you’re wondering if I’ve lost weight, walking so much? I have gained and lost the same four pounds since April. Lose two, gain one, lose one, gain two, lose three, gain one, rinse, repeat until Ragnarok. But my jeans fit differently and when I do hard things I feel like I have more stamina. And I haven’t gotten sick so far this winter (knock on wood, we just had a house full of sick people so let’s see how this goes).