Help! My wife says she needs a treadmill!

[SandyD]

I'm lucky there's a health club in the building where I work. So, I just get off on a different floor and I'm halfway through my workout before I know the difference.

Most health clubs around here have an option to pay per visit ... if you aren't going to use it regularly. That's what I was thinking of.

Now, the "Y" will have a lot of programs for the kids that they may enjoy, I imagine. Might be a good thing, GAC.

[15fan]

I've tried treadmills, but boredom sets in pretty quickly. I'm more of an outdoor runner. Not trails or anything, just through neighborhoods, etc. 3-4 miles 3-4 times a week. The money you'll save on the treadmill will cover the cost of running shoes for quite a while.

For a variety of reasons, my wife & I prefer to run early in the morning. We run in shifts (mainly so that the 2 year old isn't left home alone...). I find that running at 5:45 is when I have my best runs - the weather is cool, there aren't any cars out, etc. It's a good way to start the day. It's also great to see what's going on (or not) throughout the neighborhood - who's renovating, what houses are on the market, etc.

If your wife (or anyone else, for that matter), takes up running outdoors, please make sure that you have a proper pair of running shoes, and not just a pair of whatever is in the back of the closet or what the salesperson told you was on sale. Find a store that specializes in running and have them fit you for the right kind of shoe.

Finally, and most importantly, make sure you follow some basic safety rules. A few weeks ago, a runner in the Atlanta Track Club was hit by a car & killed while she was on her early morning run through a neighborhood near where I live. A lot of lessons came out of that tragedy, but here are some of the main ones:

* Make sure someone knows your running route and approximately how long you should be gone / what time you should be back.

* Carry emergency ID with you.

* If you are running in the street, always run so that you can see the on-coming traffic.

* If you are going to be running when it is dark, wear white & / or reflective clothing.

Before the runner was killed, I was content to simply wear my white shirt and consider myself safe enough. Now I have a reflective mesh vest that I wear, as well as a small blinking red light that clips on my shorts & is visible from about 1/4 mile away. When it was time to pick up a pair of gloves for the cool weather, I opted for the neon yellow pair instead of the more "stylish"
black gloves.

[LoganBuck]

We bought the treadmill, but on top of having young kids, she knew two people who were killed running. One of her classmates at Wright States Lake Campus at Celina was abducted, raped, and killed, and another friend of hers was hit by a car and killed in Dayton. She won't be running anywhere, in public.

[westofyou]

One of her classmates at Wright States Lake Campus at Celina was abducted, raped, and killed, and another friend of hers was hit by a car and killed in Dayton. She won't be running anywhere, in public.

My wife feels the same way, she won't go out alone in less it's the middle of the day, no trails alone, nothing. It doesn't help that my cousins sister-in-law was one of the Hillside Strangler's victims.

[vaticanplum]

It was just another article in the house that needed dusted.

Well look at you with your silver lining.

[GAC]

Well look at you with your silver lining.

My wife keeps saying that when we rebuild we're not gonna fill the house with junk like the last time. Being married 25 years, I said nothing. But I know better. We have three teemagers. The fire dept. spent most of the time in my daughter's bedroom, with all the crap stuffed under her bed and in her closet.