I'm looking to buy a Treadmill to use @ home. With no sign of a Scottish summer appearing, I'm getting fed-up running in the pouring rain. I like to run on grass or go cross-country, but the novelty of running in 6" of mud is wearing thin :(

Not sure whether to go for a expensive home one or a refurbished commercial one.

Stefan

[Edited by ozzy - 6/14/2002 8:29:15 PM]

May I slightly extend (not hijack, honest!) this thread and add "...and do you use it often?" My wife is badgering me to get one as she says she liked using it down the gym, but I have a suspicion that for all but the most dedicated (to whom fair play, and I can sympathise with the mud comments), they are bought, used for a month or so, then collect dust and take up space in the garage.

Cheers
Brendan

I have one - I bought it, used it for a month and it is now used as a nice flat place to keep stuff. I joined a gym before buying it and still go 3 times a week

Hi Brendan,

As far as actual running is concerned, then I run 6 days/week. The problem is that this week alone, I've only had two days where it hasn't been raining :(

Due to an injury, I'm having to run on soft surfaces (grass, dirt tracks, etc..). Once it get's too wet, then I'm open to even more injury from twisted ankles and knees.

The idea is to get something that I can jump on too a get a decent run for 30-45mins without getting soaked to the skin.

If the weather's fine, then I'll take running in the countryside over anything. Maybe I should just move to Lisbon and I wouldn't have problems with the weather :)

Stefan

Stefan mate - when you see the motorists, the pavement quality, and the dog turds around here, believe me you will be praying for Scottish mud...:D

A friend of mine has one and swears by it - he uses it most days and has a TV set up in front of it - but then he is sad enough to run for the duration of a grand prix video .....!!

G

Gordo,

Could you ask him what make/model it is for me please?

Stefan

dont want to hijack your thread
but girlfriend has a cross trainer / eliptical runner made by Vision Sports it has Heart rate monitor
it cost £1200 but will sell for £750
if you are interested i can get some pics
Paul

I went for a rowing machine in the end - good all-round workout and you're not so likely to injure yourself

I bought a Reebok one, and am very happy with it.
I've got it set up in a spare room with a TV in front of it.
Get up every morning and do 1/2 hour on it while watching the news.

Paul,

Is there anything you don't have for sale ;) Used the eliptical machines when recovering from my op in January but could spend hours on them without breathing hard at all. Good for burning fat, but you need a good hard run to get your heart/lungs burning :)

Jlanng,

Already use a rower for my Circuit sessions. They're a great full-body workout, but me @rse goes numb if I sit on them too long. Quick interval sessions is about as much as I can take of them.

Cheers,
Stefan

Got a treadmill at work... it's called my job :D

know someone who has one....

not sure make etc or cost - seems to have all the dials / monitors etc u need...can find out if u want.....

she uses it 4 days ish a week and has had it for a year or so now, so this one does not gather dust !

more enjoyable than actually going out i understand - can use it in front of the tv !

steve

Does anyone know of any web sites that sell these things? I'm another runner and the Greek summer is getting way to hot to continue at the oval. I don't want to have to stop for a couple of months and wait till the weather cools down, cos I'll lose my fitness.

Cheers,

Wrexy.

I don't believe it.

A Scotsman that's afraid of the rain. Do you expect to come home "dry" after a run?

If so I wouldn't bother.

Doing any of the Polaroid 10ks Stephan?

Hi,

I'm off into Glasgow tomorrow to test a few. Here's a list of some online suppliers:-

Exercise Zone
Premier Sports
Powerhouse Fitness
Bolton Stirland
Sports Clearance
ProSport UK
Simply Fitness
Optima Fitness
Sports Replay

Prices vary quite a bit, so if you see one you like shop around as you could save hundreds.

Here's links to some manufacturers:-

Tunturi
Kettler
Star Trac
Precor
Johnson
Vision Fitness
Life Fitness
Trimline
Horizon Fitness
Pro-Form

And some tips:-

http://www.runnersworld.com/home/0,1...72-606,00.html
http://www.runnersworld.com/home/0,1...72-609,00.html
http://www.bodytrends.com/treadbuy.htm
http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspart...t/treadmil.htm
http://www.montana.com/stafford/treadmill.html

Stefan

[Edited by ozzy - 6/14/2002 8:28:30 PM]

LOL Dougster,

Don't mind getting wet, but when it's 6-days a week it gets a bit depressing. Quite fancy doing some 5K or 10K's, though I've no particular races in mind.

I'm trying to get back in shape for rejoining the Marines in October.

Stefan

Hi Ozzy,

I have a Delta 'Easyup' treadmil in the garage - Cost about £800. This is a rebadged York product very similar to this: http://gymtrader.com/deltaadvantage.htm.
Used it solidly for 6 months (now 2 years old) and now use it for a few weeks at a time, followed by a month or two of Stella-binging :D:D: before getting back on again once my weight goes over the 'no-go' zone! I then tend to use it 3-4 times a week for a few miles a time, over the course of a month or two and then lose track again (the pull of the beer fridge!:)).

As for the cost, when I had gym membership, the eliptical trainers and treadmills were pretty much all my wife and I used. With gym visits at £3-4 a time (not to mention subs)this treadmill paid for itself in a matter of months so even if it gathers dust, it hasn't been a waste of money.

To help motivate me, I have my old 25" TV and a video recorder so I can pull out a few films to watch over the space of a couple of weeks. Recommendations include the Godfather trilogy - 9hrs - good for losing a stone at least! Also check out Stephen King's "The Stand"! I also use my work laptop - hire or buy a DVD and place that the laptop screen on top of the telly in front of me to watch the film with some in-ear headphones. I find it makes getting on the treadmill the next day after work very much easier, especially if I'm half-way into a decent movie. In fact I sometimes look forward to it LOL. If you have broadband then your movie choices may be <ahem> slightly wider and more up to date...

After a couple of years it's still going OK, if a little noisy. The motor had to be replaced after 18 months but this was under guarantee, and was because I always use the treadmill at the same speed apparently. The only thing lacking on this is variable programs - you set the speed and incline manually (but electronically). Make sure you go for a model with a decent motor. this one was 3.5hp I think. Some are only 1-1.5 and may be a little on the weedy side! As to whether I'd recommend it, even though it is not used constantly I am looking at getting an elliptical trainer to go with my treadmill. If space is any sort of an issue you must have a folding version though.

I hope this helps

Joolz

Cheers Ozzy and Jbryant. :)

Wrexy.

sorry for being slow coming back - my friend has a

Tunturi T Track G300

which cost about £2500 (this was on sale apparently). loves it - it's not small, though.

G

With WorldCup games being shown at lunchtime, I have far more enthusiasm to go in the gym at lunchtime, and exercise while watch da game.