Saved by the Treadmill

I admit it: I don't really love my treadmill.

I convinced my husband to spend $500+/- on it as winter approached, so that I would have no excuse to miss scheduled runs. It works for that, and I'm glad to have it, but I've found that I love running outside so much more, and I can now handle our neighborhood hills, so I usually face the slippery snow or the chilly wind to run outside. I've also discovered a park trail where utility vehicles conveniently cruise the path a couple times a day to make a pair of nice little tire tread tracks in the deeper snow for me and a friend to run and chat. So, I rarely choose the treadmill, but today was one of those rare days -- a short quickie run, no muss, no fuss, right?

Why today am I so grateful to my treadmill?

A running first: I got the shits!

I knew I wasn't feeling 100%, but thought I'd be OK & well, you know me & my schedule. So, on to the treadmill went I. When I had a half mile left on my 4 mile planned treadmill run, I didn't know if I could make it. (Yes, I realize the reasonable thing would have been to take a break or cut it short, but, uh, well, there's that Type A thing about me that you might not know about. . .) I managed to finish the 4 miles & ran to the bathroom. Thank God for my bathroom. Nothing is better than a bathroom. Really. Truly.

So, what would I do on the trail? Pray to God I was running solo, I suppose. Talk about a bonding moment with my nearest & dearest running buddies.

Shudder. Shudder. Shudder.

So, what do people do? This is inevitably going to happen to me someday on a run. For privacy I could bear running into the woods on *most* of my trails (but what if I'm on the rail trail near civilization?) I'm a backpacker girl, I can go in the woods. . . Not my ideal thing to do, but I could survive it.

But, the clean up?? It's not like a kleenex would have helped. I'd need half a roll of TP. I'd consider sacrificing a sock or two, but then I'd have to finish the run with poopy feet (wrecking my shoes) or sockless (blister city?) I can see it now: a running belt supplied with water, energy gels, asthma inhaler, and a roll of TP? What on earth do mortals do?