February Love 2: My Dreadmill

So, I know the treadmill isn't everyone's idea of fun while running, but I love mine. It is a pretty poor speciman to look at recently. In November, the bracket that makes it incline and decline broke in half. My handy husband tried to fix it, but it apparently requires welding and all sorts of chicanery to fix so no more incline runs. Sad. About 3 years ago, the plastic covering that allows the belt to staying motion while a runner is standing on it came detached from the running board. Our awesome solution to reattach it? Scrapbook paper and quilting tacks. These held up until December of last year when the plastic piece detached again. This time we used some thin cardboard and some screws to reattach it. We thought we were in the clear until the January night when Shane cracked the running board in half. You might think at this point we would give in and upgrade, but you would be wrong. Shane and my kids took 3 pieces of a 1 x 4 x 8 piece of wood and screwed them under the running deck. We have had to reattach one of the boards twice now, but we are limping along nicely, thank you very much. Yes, it's kinda ghetto currently. Mo it isn't new or pretty or even original to us (we were given it by some family members). But it makes it so I can run when time or circumstances don't allow me to go outside. I hope it can hold up a few more months - a new one isn't really in the stars anytime soon. As mind numbingly boring as it often is, I love my treadmill. It gets me where I want to be in so many ways without ever requiring me to go farther than my basement. I'll take it. So do you brave the cold or deal with the boredom of dreadmill running/walking? Would you step foot on a treadmill held together by wood? I have to admit I worry one day it will break for real and we will have to find another one. It will be a sad day.