Damn Treadmill Disaster

 

Although the image is not mine, I too have had to place an "Out of Order" sign on my treadmill. It has me worried.

I was running on the damn beast this morning.  I had just reaching 10.6 miles (~17km).... I was aiming to complete 11.1 miles (~18km) for the day.... when...... BAM!!!!!    The top bar (the electronic gizmo holding part that includes the handles, the heart monitor stuff, the electronics to adjust the speed) simply fell off!!!!  Luckily it DID NOT topple onto the the running belt/track where I was running.... but instead hung suspended in mid-air by the wiring of the electronics.  If it had fallen onto the track itself, I probably would have gone tumbling myself and either crashed into a concrete wall, or I would have fallen back - HARD - onto the basement linoleum.  But... the bigger issue is that the treadmill IS NOT USABLE because of this damnable tray breaking off.  That means I have nowhere to run come tomorrow.

Looking at the piece that broke off..... there was even more stressful news.  What had happened is that the top piece was built with a steel tube that had the plastic gizmos attached atop of it in a sort of shield-like arrangement.... but the steel tube had welded on pieces to insert into the long arms of the treadmill that went from the running surface upward to hold the gizmo shield-tray.  If you look at the labeled image below (which is much newer and fancier than the treadmill I have, but it similar in design), the plasticity part with all the gizmos (Where the heart rate sensor, cup holder, and 5" LCD Display, and Safety Key are located on the image below) on it has the steel bar running across the gizmo section (underneath the gizmos).  The METAL WELDS holding the steel bar of the gizmo tray to their point of attaching to the legs is what broke..... the damn metal welds.  So, it is not repairable by any simple means:

 

It was extremely disheartening and frustrating to have this failure. With the snow and ice, I have really no safe options for running at the moment.  I had happened to be at a store around the holidays that sold treadmills.  The more "budget friendly" (I tend to think of this as a sort of "Orwell-speak" if you ask me) treadmill was running for roughly $2,500.  I will not and can not justify spending that amount of money.  When I got this infernal machine roughly a year and a half ago, I had been scouring around for a used one and this fit the bill.  I believe I paid either $175 or $200 for it back then.  And, I only bought it because I needed somewhere to run in the Winter and could not run on the indoor tracks I had access to due to the damnable Covid situation.  But, who knows how the hell long it may be before I can locate another used beast?  

I think I will have to try to figure out some sort of way to jury rig this beast back together.  The only problem is that I do not have a helluva lot of time, especially with this week being the first week of the semester.... with that often meaning I cannot get out of the U until perhaps 6pm or 7pm even if I push as hard as I can to be quick.  There are just too many time consuming, nit-picky things to do this first week.  

I am going to try to stop at Lowes or Home Depot or Menards (the three "big box" lumber & hardware stores in my neck of the woods) on my way home to pick up some supplies:

• 1  2X4 piece of lumber

• 2 heavy-duty metal brackets... "L-shaped"
  

• a huge array of heavy bolts, nuts, washers and locking washers.

I am imagining POSSIBLY being able to create a 2X4 "arm/ledge" between the two downward running legs.  If I drill holes in the legs at positions where there are holes in the metal bracket, I may be able to attach this wooden arm/ledge to the legs and have it span between them.  THEN.... POSSIBLY, if I dismantle all the gizmos and plastic shield materials from the steel bar with the faulty welds, I may then be able to drill holes in the steel bar AND 2x4 to allow me to bolt the steel bar to the 2X4.  IF THAT WORKS, I *might* be able to reattach the gizmos to the bar.

Damn it!  This is not how I want to spend my time today.  I have too, too many damn things to do at work.  I feel tired and exhausted from just THINKING about this plan for repair that MIGHT work, or may simply be an effort in sheer futility.  

Please wish me luck, and keep hoping that I might have success with this.  If I do, then I can run tomorrow.  If not.... I do not know what the hell I will do about running.

You would NOT believe how much I would like to pick up one of my pipes and smoke 3,4, 5 or more bowlsful of heavy, hearty pipe tobacco right now.  I do know that my pipes have always helped me cope with stress.  Do not get me wrong..... my pipes and pipe smoking were more than stress relievers for me.  They were friends in happy times and in harsh times.  But, right NOW, I am feeling the want/desire to have a pipe to sooth me and help to decrease my stress.  Running is the only other activity that has shown a similar level of consistently helping me to feel reduced stress. 

PipeTobacco