I was fortunate enough to find a job working on the Appalachian Trail this summer, a time that now seems terribly far in the past. For all you flatlanders, the Appalachian Trail allows the mildly psychotic to hike from northern Maine to Georgia, spanning five months and almost 2,200 miles. I worked on a section of the trail that had become a muddy mess after years of heavy rain and neglect. I got to live in intimate contact with the woods for a full month, an opportunity that makes most outdoorsmen and women salivate.
While living in the woods, my crew and I had many near death experiences with the ATVs that Vermont allows in its state forests. The owners of these fun but demonic vehicles invariably spent their down-time in a campsite near our own. Instead of tents, however, these nature lovers stayed in camper vans. When they weren’t tearing the woods to shreds with their ATVs, they could be found strewing Natural Light cans and cigarette butts on the forest floor, listening to the radio and enthusiastically avoiding nature.† I was perplexed why a person would go to such great lengths, driving out to the middle of nowhere, in order to do the same things they might do at home. But this was at much greater expense and they were shunning the woods altogether.
I was struck recently with a similar perplexity. I am a member of the Ultimate Frisbee team and an avid runner. However, I have a lingering mysterious pain in my foot, so for now I must resign myself to the stationary bike. Each day as I head down into our cave-like weight room, sigh and choose a bike, I notice the mysterious treadmill enthusiasts. These athletes shun the sunny, open outdoors in order to run in place in a smelly cave with artificial lighting. I love the outdoors, and I enjoy a good run, but both things together create a visceral experience that I look forward to each day. So, it utterly confuses me why anyone would choose to run on a treadmill.
To treadmill enthusiasts: if all you have ever known is the treadmill, I feel bad for you. You owe it to yourself to go run outside. Dynamic running surfaces will strengthen the stabilizing muscles in your ankles. Wind resistance will boost the benefits of your run; and getting some sun will improve your mood, according to various exercise authorities. Finally, running outside allows you to explore the Wooster environment, the parks, cemeteries, and back-roads. More than simply a better complete athletic experience, taking your run outside can give you a sense of adventure, which will make it harder to find excuses to avoid exercise.
I imagine many people will stay in the gym, avoiding everything that a run can really be, just like the ATV cohort will continue to enthusiastically avoid nature. Personally, I will be outside (as soon my injury allows), until Wooster’s unplowed sidewalks force me back onto the stationary bike. Then, and only then, will I be grateful for the invention of the treadmill.