Endless miles going nowhere.

Mindless droning...

The resistance unit buzzes under my rear tire. The volume on the TV is up so I can hear the dialogue, as Gerard Butler delivers a line as King Leonidas in the movie 300 ("Clearly you don't know our women! I might as well have marched them up here, judging by what I've seen.").

I look at my watch... It's been another 15 minutes, time to stand up for a little while.

Shift to the top gear, crank the resistance to max, and pretend I'm ascending an Alp or Dolomite.

Two minutes later I'm back down, getting back to my spin, watching a few men defend their nation against an advancing horde several magnitudes their number.

Another 15 minutes and I'll repeat the process.

That was two hours of my Sunday, probably my longest trainer ride in 25 years.

Miles and hours on the road go by much faster and easier. I need the movies (guy-movies -- emotional dramas just don't do it) to keep my mind off the mindlessness. On the road, my mind is activated by the act of moving, awareness of my surroundings, threats, where I'm going. When those things are removed... It's not that the discomforts become more, but that everything else becomes so much less that they're all that's left. Pushing one's self takes more discipline. The mental game of riding when you're not going anywhere.

My PT recommended I run on a treadmill for my return to mileage. He said it would be good for (1) reducing impact because of the flex of the treadmill, and (2) avoiding the crown of the road (but I do most of my running OFF road, so that's not much of an issue).

I've used a treadmill before, when the weather was nasty or I just didn't want to deal with it, and it was convenient because I was already at a company fitness center. Since I don't have that convenient access any more, it's been years since I've run on a treadmill. I was able to just grind away as long as I could watch my form in a mirror in front of me (and monitor how close I was to the end of the treadmill without having to look down). Watching a TV? I'd end up stepping half-way off the belt and fall on my tookus. Something about having the ground moving underneath me (instead of me moving over the ground) made it imperative to be looking straight ahead.

But I'm also not the most coordinated acrobat out there.

I may think strongly about a treadmill at some point. I've looked before, but found that the ones with enough power and speed cost about the same as a decent used car.

At least the trainer is still cheap.