Running on Hotel Treadmills

Last week on an out-of-town trip, I spent a morning on the hotel (Marriott) treadmill. Why is it that hotels do not invest in good treadmills?

I'm talking about the ones that you can easily find in local gyms or workout facilities.

Anyway, I actually try to get outside when I'm traveling. I find that you can find out more about a city or culture just by doing a 3 miler in or around your hotel. How many runners are you running into? Are there any running paths that are dedicated to runners? Are their sidewalks always crowded? Do they even have sidewalks? (This comes up running suburban areas all the time.) Does the area promote being outside or just enough access to get to public transportation?

It's interesting when I read the billions that they put into public transportation (light rail, subways, commuter train, etc.) but the lack of funds dedicated to a running path that is a thousandth of the cost if we did it in the same location. With all the concern around obesity in the United States, there should be a dedicated effort to get access to these areas. It's one thing to ask everyone to get moving, it's another thing to show it by providing that access.

Anyway, back to my treadmill experience. since I had speed listed on my workout schedule, doing a fast tempo on city streets was not going to work for me. Weather along with location put a damper on that. So I got the Nano going and just warmed up for a one miler and then kicked it into high gear [the fast tempo pace].

I realize that I'm a big runner. Okay, not 20 pounds overweight [although I was not so long ago] but on the high end of what is considered normal for my height. If you were in the pool [in the room next to the workout facility] every time my foot strike landed on that belt, you would think that a 747 was landing in the room next to you. I just turned up the volume on the Nano. But my embarrassing claim to fame cam when I finished 3 miles at this pace and jumped onto the running boards alongside the treadmill belt. Both [yes, both] snapped off like I was trying to catch branches of a Birchwood tree afterr having my parachute not open. Embarassing? You bet. I felt the need to let the desk know. They were kind enough to tell me not to worry about it (but not kind enough to tell me that it happens all the time.)

So I need to adjust my future travel plans to inquire as to where the nearest health club is next time I find myself roaming from home.


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