The "Dreadmill"

Today is day 2 of 3 in a row stuck on the treadmill. The first day was my fault. I slept in and had to run in the evening, late, after sundown, when the monsters come out. For some reason running in the pitch black morning doesn't bother me at all. Night time,however, that's a different story. I have to treadmill it today and tomorrow because its just me and my little man at home. The rest of the gang is away and I cant go out running and leave the big guy by himself, unless of course I want social services at my house or the fire department.

A lot of folks enjoy the treadmill. You stay out of the cold, wind, rain, heat, snow... Most people watch television. "If I want to run or walk for 30 minutes, I watch a 30 minute TV show and the time goes by so much quicker." It's just you, your remote control, A/C, and your stable environment. Not so for me. I live in an old house where noises carry. If I were to turn up the TV loud enough to hear it, the entire house would wake up. Plus, its in the basement... I get to stare at concrete while I run. The most I have ever run on a treadmill is 14 miles, at 6 miles an hour. That is 2 hours and 20 minutes staring at concrete...the same view, the same speed, the same slope, the same air, the same hum of the motor, the same, the same, the same........

Monotonous, mundane, humdrum, boring, routine, the same, the same.. That is what treadmill means to me. One day I posted on Facebook that I had logged 6 miles on that wicked device and a friend of mine referred to it as the "Dreadmill." I love that picture. For me that is exactly what it is. Dread....

It is so difficult for me to get excited about running on the treadmill. Most days I jump out of bed to go hit the road, but on treadmill days, I just want to eat junk food and lay on the couch. The sad thing is that I know those days are just as important to my fitness and training as any other day. As the beautiful spring day running outdoors, when the sun comes up, the air is brisk, and the flowers are blooming. As the awesome winter morning, with the snow falling, deserted roads, and icicles on the phone lines. BUT THE TREADMILL IS SO BORING!!!

It is so hard to live a Godly life in the monotonous, mundane, humdrum, boring routine of everyday. I find it easy to cling to God in the amazing and the terrible. In the birth of a child, love of a spouse, a hard fought victory. In the death of a loved one, unrelenting illness, loss of a job. I see God's power and witness his compassion in the peaks and valleys of this crazy life. It's on the flat, unending road when I struggle. Taking kids to school, washing dishes, getting groceries, sweeping the floor, going to work, mowing the grass, that's when I stop experiencing him. Not because he's not there, but because I lose focus. I start staring at the wall and just run, just get it over with. I want to have the same enthusiasm in the mundane as I do in the amazing. These days are just as important to my spiritual health as any other day.

I must stay focused. Not on the concrete wall, but on the face of him who gives me this life.


Ps. I do have one cool treadmill experience... Last year in Mexico, I went to the hotels exercise room and all the treadmills were taken. I had to wait for one to open up. Eventually this guy finishes, wipes down the machine and says "Here you go." For all you UK fans, it was Coach Cal. Let it be known... I run farther and faster than he does... just sayin'