A couple weeks ago I bought a mat for under my treadmill. I have had the treadmill on the carpet in our basement and it's not pretty under there. There is oil and filth under the console like you wouldn't believe, and there's probably a bunch of carpet fibers all up in its business! I bought the mat because I wanted to move the treadmill to face the TV and didn't feel like ruining another section of carpet or risk anymore carpet fibers. I also thought it might cut down on the amount of static electricity that builds up when I am using the treadmill.
Do you have this happen? You're running along, minding your own business and your hand brushes the treadmill and you're shocked all the way up your arm? Like you can feel it in every hair on your body? It's the strangest feeling ever and I really don't like it. I thought it was the carpet causing the static, but apparently it's just me.
We moved the treadmill tonight--finally. It didn't work in front of TV because the console is too high, but we were able to put down the mat before we moved it back to the corner. Then I jumped on it for my Monday run (I don't care if it's Tuesday) and about five minutes later, crack! I was shocked again. The mat makes no difference! Aaargh! I guess I just have to deal with it unless anyone has any suggestions.
Anyway, I logged 4.33 miles, but I still think the Garmin footpod (A.K.A. Calibration Fail) is not exactly accurate. The distance measured was about .58 different than the treadmill because the speed was faster. Now, I did check the cadence against my last outdoor run and it is a bit faster so I guess my pace could be faster on the treadmill than outside. I'm not dealing with hills or wind on the treadmill--only the lightning. But it's the difference between the Garmin and the treadmill speed/distance that's bugging me. Could my treadmill be that far off, or am I just running faster than the belt is moving? Or is the Garmin off? I don't know and I'm probably thinking about it too much, but the last thing I want to do is log more miles and speed than I deserve. I know you runners can understand this. If it's nice enough to run outside on Friday I'm going to drive somewhere that I can run for 4-5 miles on a course without any hills. I'll judge it then. In the meantime, I'll also try to calibrate it again during tomorrow's run.
I've heard that spraying the carpet with a mixture of water and liquid fabric softener helps when the carpet has static in it. Maybe you walk across the carpet and then get on the treadmill and its causing the shock? Just a thought. Or, it could just be your sparky personality!
ReplyDeleteThe treadmill at my old gym used to do that to me. I always joked around about it being a warning I was getting too close to the side. It didn't hurt, exactly, but it was annoying as heck.
ReplyDeleteTreadmills are almost ALWAYS off on distance. Think about it--that little motor could be slowing down... or it could be calibrated incorrectly. Generally, the speed on a treadmill is actually faster than it says it is.
ReplyDelete