It has a bad rap.  They call it the dreadmill.  I call it my foul-weather friend.  This time of year, the treadmill keeps me moving when cold wind and slick surfaces drive me inside. 

I first made friends with the machine at a gym many years back, after slipping on ice and sustaining a concussion on a neighborhood run. A few years later,  a treadmill joined our family when we moved to the big city. I wanted to fit in a workout before the long morning commute. It felt safer and more convenient to run inside, and the treadmill was a welcome addition to my busy life.  More recently, I committed to the "Runner's World Holiday Streak," running at least one mile each day from Thanksgiving through New Year's.  With single digits and snow-on-ice, I delight in stepping out of bed and onto to the 'mill with lively Christmas music playing.  Nutcracker, anyone?

It has been a long time since I dreaded the 'mill. It has become a treasured friend in times of need.  Not only is it a safer and more convenient option at certain times of day and year, but I have found other pleasures and treasures as well.

Treadmill time is one of the few times I really listen to music.  At other times, it plays in the background while I focus on something else.  Running in place, I can get lost in the tunes and enjoy them for their own sake.

It is also good for focusing on form. Since I am not jumping over rocks and roots, enjoying the scenery, avoiding traffic, or calculating distance and pace in my head, I can attend to my body.  Arms back and forth, not side to side.  Head balanced. Shoulders relaxed.  Tailbone tucked.  Abs and glutes engaged.  Striking the mid-foot, not the heel.

Mind and spirit can also play that game, as meditation features the open, empty mind.  A recent motel treadmill run was enhanced by words on the wallpaper: straight ahead and center was the word "WAKE."  I found it peaceful and energizing to run smoothly on a stable surface with "wake" filling my mind.  

Because treadmill running is repetitive; doesn't go anywhere...and doesn't encounter uneven surfaces, distracted drivers, angry dogs, ice, snow, or wind...it can be seen as boring.  It can also be seen as soothing, peaceful, and liberating.  Our frame of mind determines the picture we see.  It is up to us.

How do you deal with potentially boring situations? Which are hardest for you? What have you done to add value and increase enjoyment, moving from dread to friendship?