"Treadspill"

I'm lucky to be writing this after a brush with.......not death mind you, but a treadmill.

Jennifer had just finished running 4.5 miles, and now it was my turn. I was in the middle of my 3x800 intervals, (at a 6:22 pace) when I heard a loud thud behind me. (You have to understand, I have a hard time running that fast, much less actually looking behind me while running that fast.)

I thought maybe one of the many boxes we have stacked up in the basement had fallen over. Apparently that was incorrect, because a few seconds later the treadmill belt is on the floor. Just in case you were wondering..... going from almost 10mph to 0mph in a half second does cause you to fly face first towards the control panel. Anyway, I managed to stay upright and not crash into all our boxes full of Christmas ornaments. Not quite as smooth as this guy, but darn close.

Upon closer inspection it appears that one of the plastic (yes, plastic) brackets that hold the rear roller had broken off. I'm no treadmill engineer, but that seems like something that shouldn't be made out of plastic. I wasn't really in the mood to tear the whole thing apart, but I'm pretty sure I can fabricate a new metal bracket. Jennifer has already declared she will not run on the treadmill ever again. I don't believe she has much faith in my ability to repair said treadmill to her satisfaction.......which basically means she doesn't want to be maimed by a treadmill that I cobbled back together with superglue, zipties, and an old spoon. (I guess I can't blame her.)

I guess if worse comes to worse, I can always run outside. I'm not really fired up about running on ice, at night, in single digit temperatures......fortunately I'm even less thrilled about buying a new treadmill. I'll tear it apart this weekend to see the extent of the damage. Who knows, maybe I'll take a few pic's.....or better yet video! (too bad I have no idea how to post video here.....or anywhere for that matter.)