Running - Have Hi-Tech Machines Left Running in the Dust?

The machines drown out the booming disco racketshape faster and more effectively than a good,
from the overhead speakers. All you hear, aside fromprimitive run.
the constant hum of machinery, is metal on metal,Aside from the fresh air that expands your lung
minus the smear of grease.capacity, something you can't get at an indoor gym,
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.running continues to stand as the leader in conditioning,
The stunning blonde attached to these legs peersfat burning, and keeping your heart rate up. Just
down at a dark screen. At first, it looks like she's aboutcompare the three miles down Main Street with the
to indulge in a game of Pac-Man or Donkey Kong, butsame distance on the rubbery conveyor belt of a
in actuality, her ensuing fun is of a much differenttreadmill. The difference in the way you feel is
variety. This woman is about to work out.astounding.
After punching in a few keys as if it were tax time,But one such concept factoring in the demise of
her hips slowly begin to grind, and just like that, the funrunning is the belief that it is a muscle man's worst
has begun.enemy. Reports that running will chisel away on that
Needless to say, the year is 1999 and what once washard-earned beef have been relentless. Thus, the
accomplished with such basic simplicity has nowrunning fad has come to heel a bit, almost seemingly
entered the world of hi-tech devices and advancedlimited to the hard-core crowd.
microchips.The experts say that the ideal method, however, to
To a new patron, who just wandered through theavoiding such a tragedy is to jog lightly for the first
door, it all seems a bit pretentious as he peers overtwenty minutes and then upgrade to a more vigorous
the motoring array of Stairmasters, steppers, treadmills,pace thereafter. After the twenty-minute segment, the
and stationary bikes.body generally kicks into the fat-burning business as
The observer smirks and chuckles, knowing well that,opposed to the muscle-consuming business. Remaining
not so long ago, for the goal at hand, two legs and anat a steady, moderate pace (say 70 percent), and
old pair of Nikes were all that was required.ditching any hopes of becoming the next Jesse
However, the art of running seems a forgotten trade,Owens would seem the most logical approach,
not just for the random observer, but for the fitnessespecially for new runners.
public in general. For the mainstream crowd looking toBesides, doesn't a nice stroll along a quiet country road
foil the flab (and perhaps partake in the social aspects),amid the birds and the tress sound somewhat
a nice, honest jog through the park loses out to aappealing? Doesn't it beat gaping at the
sweat-session on the stairs any corporate day of thesweat-drenched back of the guy on the Stairmaster in
week.front of you?
Yet, one fact remains, the same fact that hasIf this is you, then perhaps it's finally time to leave those
survived both the tests of time and the endlessnoisy treadmills and squeaky stationary bikes behind ...
evolution of technology. Nothing will whip you intofar enough behind to choke on your dust.