What’s the most exercise you get with a treadmill? Moving It! My wife bought it for me, disturbed with the fact that I would run on icy days in an attempt to maintain my running streak. Today was day #3918 without missing, a habit I hope to be able to continue for many years to come. Admittedly, the treadmill has come in handy while we’ve lived here in Portland, particularly after a dizzy spell that I experienced one morning. (See Post #809). I’ve run in nearly every condition from freezing cold to blazing hot – through rain storms hail, and winds that stop you in your tracks. We’ll no longer have room for that treadmill, so I will simply have to do without it in the future. A friend is coming this afternoon to pick it up, but I have concerns lugging it down the stairs and loading it into her truck. In fact, I’ve lost some sleep thinking about the best way to do it without damaging my back.

I’m not a spring chicken any more, so I have to be careful about lifting heavy objects. I’ve spent too much time with the chiropractor and acupuncture specialist to risk further discomfort. Not to mention, the fear of breaking or spraining something while falling down the stairs. I did hire professionals, but the treadmill doesn’t fit into the timing of our move. There will be at least three of us to get it out of the house, but it will still be more sweat and strain than a workout on the very machine we’ll be carrying. I’ll be glad to get it over with, and focus next on the piano, another of our possessions that others would like to have but don’t have the means to move.  

As I was running this morning, I felt like I was carrying that piano on my back. It made me think of some of the slower guys who I used to play softball with in the media leagues. We joked about their Wurlitzer backpacks, trying to simply get from first to second base. I was fast then, but not anymore. My legs sometimes feel like concrete as I navigate the streets every morning. It was once effortless to run, but now it’s exhausting. I’ve gone from sprinting, to running, to jogging, to chugging along! Sometimes, I feel like I’m on a treadmill – getting nowhere. I’m sure I look silly out there, pretending to be an athlete at my age. Even though my balance is off, I should feel fortunate to be able to still put one foot in front of the other. 

In our new apartment, the treadmill will no longer serve as a crutch. Fortunately, the neighborhood where we’ll live is not a hilly as our current address. We’re at 500-1000 feet right now, as opposed to the 50 foot average near the Willamette River where I will be doing my future runs. There should be less ice and snow, but still plenty of rain along with more traffic. I’ll also have to deal with more cross-streets, pedestrians and older sidewalks. There are no excuses when you’re trying to maintain a consecutive streak, so I’ll be out there every day regardless of the circumstances. If not, I’m sure there is a gym nearby with a treadmill or an indoor track. “The Streak” will go on!