treadmill woes
my current treadmill has been acting wonky for a while, now: slipping and taking about .3 miles of walking to warm up before i can safely start running. i knew parts needed to be replaced but i just didn’t do it for some reason. using a treadmill while it’s slipping can ruin the motor, so i decided to finally bite the bullet.
my first replacement was the walking belt. generally it’s not the walking belt that’s the problem, but mine was starting to separate and it needed to be replaced anyway, so i thought i’d start with that in hopes that it would solve my problems.
it came in the mail, and i watched a youtube video on how to replace it; after 20 mins or so, i had a new walking belt on my treadmill. i centered it on the ramp (after watching another youtube video on how to do that – you tighten or release tension on the back roller, which can be done with an allan wrench on the back of your machine) and got on.
no dice! it was still slipping, and seemed to be slipping for longer, though it was less squeaky (a plus). so i ordered a drive belt on friday and should be here tomorrow to replace. i did try to give it a go yesterday, walking about half a mile until slippage was minimal, then running a mile. the slipping, though slight, never went away. that’s a recipe for wonky knees, so i’m on hiatus until the drivebelt replacement is in place.
good news is i accidentally counted back my training from the weekend before the half marathon, so i should be right on track when i commence treadmill running.
here’s hoping that the drivebelt solves all the woes and i don’t need to buy a new treadmill.
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in other running news, i’m hoping that NEXT friday will be warm enough for me to feel good about an outdoor run and that the snow holds off so i can run easily on the road. here’s to an early spring!!