Say "Hello"

Say "hello" to the new addition:

It is a Spirit XT 675. We decided to go for the fully loaded Honda. The deck is nice because it's 22X60. I'm fine with a shorter deck, but we brought Freddie to run on it and he's almost 6 feet tall. It's got a couple of fans which I would have loved to have at the gym today. I sweat like crazy when I run on the treadmill. Also, it has heart rate control which is great for me because I've been doing heart rate training. It's coming next Wednesday.

Tea asked: Sorry to change the subject, but I was thinking about you while I was running today. I was wondering what your long term goals are....not this year goals, but have you thought about what you plan on doing few years down the road? Any interest in doing ultra-races? (like the wild west relay or other ultras)? Or are you more interested in getting a BQ?
Just curious

I really don't have too much interest in getting a BQ. I need 4:00 and I'm only at 4:31, so I'm not even at a place where I can visualize it. If it's challanging and fun, I'm interested. Ultras don't interest me because they seem more painful than fun.

Lately, when I look in the mirror, I see a couple of things running has done for me. One good, one not-so-good. The good -- my body looks great. I've never been in better physical shape. The bad -- my face. I wear sunscreen and hats, but for the first time in my life, I look in the mirror and think I look my age (still 44 for another month). I'm used to looking younger than my age, but my skin has caught up with me. I'm not happy about that part. I'm not going to give up running, but maybe with the new addition of the treadmill I'll do more of my running inside. Maybe I'll even schedule certain runs for the treadmill. Running outside is great but it's brutal on the skin. To all you young women running -- wear LOTS of sunscreen ALL THE TIME. I did not have these wrinkles two years ago. It came on fast.

I ran at the gym today. Temperature-wise, it's not that bad -- 31-- but it was windy and snowy this morning and I was on a tight schedule. Sarah had a late start today so she didn't have to be at school until 10:15. I was supposed to run 9 miles with 4 at 15k or half-marathon pace. It didn't exactly happen that way though. I ended up doing a general aerobic run for 7 miles. HR stayed in the 150-160 range. My pace was 9:40 throughout with 1% incline. EVERY SINGLE TIME I start running on those treadmills, I get the urge to go to the bathroom. The bathroom is downstairs from the gym so it's a real pain. Sometimes I stop to go and there's nothing there! I stopped at 7 miles because it was 12:00 and I had scheduled an Active Release massage for 12:45. I had just enough time to shower, buy a protein shake, and get to the spa.

Treadmill Shopping

Gym workout today:

Hamstring curls (single leg) 10 lb (10,10) SS Wallsits (2:00) X 3
Seated DB curls (10 lb dbs) 20 X 4
Single leg tricep pulldowns 15 X 3Calf raises (I forget the weight) 20 x 3
Core rebounder w/ 7 lb ball 20 x 3
Stretch

I've finally had the chance to go out and test drive some treadmills. Yesterday I tried the PaceMaster and the Precor. For the price, I preferred the PaceMaster. Unfortunately, they don't have any units in stock and are unsure if there have been any changes in the new models.
Today, I went to another store and tried the Landice and Spirit treadmills. The Landice is on sale -- a really good sale too -- but it is still expensive. However, it comes with a lifetime warranty on everything (except labor which is 1 year). The Landice gets top reviews everywhere, except Runner's World, which gave top reviews to treadmills that cost more than I'm willing to spend.

The Treadmill Sensei calls the Landice the "BMW" of treadmills. List price is over $3,500 for the L7 Cardio Trainer model (includes HR and HR control function that base console does not) and the dealer has it listed for $2695 + $50 delivery and setup. I ran on it and liked it. The only drawback, though not for me at 5'5" is the 20 x 58" belt. There is also a "basic" model which does not have any user programs or HR control.

I guess you could call the Spirit XT675 the "loaded Honda" of treadmills. It's also reviewed very highly by all the treadmill review websites, comes with a 22 x 60" deck which is nice, the console includes lots of user programs, HR monitoring, two fans, and speakers. It also was nice to run on. It has a good warranty -- 10 year parts, 1 year labor -- and a nice pricetag too. $2150 on sale. Regular price $2399.

The PaceMaster is the same price as the Spirit, but costs $138 for delivery and setup. After I heard the $50 at today's dealer, I quickly narrowed it down to the Landice or the Spirit. How can it cost an additional $90 for one dealer to deliver vs. another? I live close to both.
As for cars, I own both a BMW and a Honda. Like the treadmills, the Honda has more "stuff" than the BMW, but I'm really happy with the bimmer. The question is, will I be more happy spending an extra $500 for a Landice or getting the Spirit and having an extra $500 to take to Vegas next month?

Unfortunately, I can't have either delivered by this weekend, so I'll still be shivering outside.