To Treadmill or not to Treadmill....

That is the question.

So over the past week I have been debating purchasing a treadmill. 

The idea was that if I had something here at my house I'd be able to run at a more convenient time of day or night. It is really too dark to run outside in the morning or after I get home from work.

I started out by visiting MC Sports and Dicks Sporting Goods websites. I had a Proform treadmill about 10 years ago that I liked and thought they would fit the bill. Let me just say the price has gone up over the past 10 years. I paid $300 then for what is now clearly a $700-800 treadmill. 

Then I happened to find treadmilldoctor.com. Here I found reviews from a repair companies point of view. They even have a buyers guide, so I ran through the guide and answered the questions. It recommended the Sole F80.

Nice looking machine, I know. I kept searching online and review after review had nothing but good thing to say about the company and treadmill. I was sold on it. 

Then Sticker shock hit, $1,500. 

So I poked around treadmill doctors website some more and found a treadmill in the $600 range. Then I read their review of it. Great for people under 200 pounds who will use it for about an hour a week at a max of 6 mph. Any more than that they recommended a gym membership.

So I looked around. Colleges, fitness centers... Nothing was coming up real close to home. Then I remember a year or so back the new Salvation Army Kroc Center opened up. It's just a half mile down the road from work. Really nice equipment, pool, etc and only $35 a month. The fact I'll only need it for 4-5 months means I'll be spending a whopping $140-$175 by the time it's all said and done. 

So for me, this made more financial sense. If there's not something close to home or work then your limited in your options and a treadmill is probably better. Unless your like us and really don't have space for one either.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Otto