#treadmill

#treadmill

You may be surprised to learn that the treadmill was invented as a prison torture device in 19th-century England. Or maybe you're not surprised, depending on your feelings about huffing and puffing as you trod along on an automatic belt to nowhere. Still, it's a little wild to realize that upward of 50 million Americans willingly use a device each year that was conceptualized to make criminals suffer. A lot of people are gluttons for punishment, though.

The no-frills design of the Wahoo Kickr Run, plus a magical mode that allows it to track your pace without touching a button, is what makes it the most real-pavement-seeming treadmill I have ever run on. I'm admittedly 20 pounds heavier than I was when I was clocking 15-mile weekend runs routinely, but even though I'm somewhat past my prime at the moment, the freeing feeling of not having to pay attention to a steady (and often aspirational) pace makes this a more natural experience.