11 Reasons to Love the Treadmill

"Sometimes when I'm running, I never get into a good groove," says Maia Deccan Dickinson from New York City. "But when I do hit my treadmill groove, it feels like the best workout ever, and I find myself hitting speeds that feel 100 times better than anything I could do outside."

"Mile High Run Club—a treadmill studio in New York City—is the greatest thing in the world," says Dickinson. "I love it because I can go to a class with my friends and all run 'together' even though we run at totally different paces. Plus, the classes are so insanely hard." (Here are 14 more reasons to embrace the running buddy system.)

"Sometimes I write on the treadmill—seriously," says Dickinson. "Or I'll read, or watch TV. Or sometimes I'll read and watch TV while listening to a podcast! The possibilities are amazing."

No more having to find an open bathroom or bush mid-run. "You can jump off and use the bathroom or drink water anytime," says Dickinson. "And it's all climate-controlled!"

"When I first started running, I lived in an area where I would constantly get lost, or would accidentally end up on a major highway," says runner Carly Goldstein. "After a few attempts gone really wrong, I started using the treadmills at my university's gym. I've never gotten lost on a treadmill!"

"Sunday afternoons at the gym started as a painful struggle for me, but eventually became a meditative time to invest in myself," says Goldstein. "The gym is quiet, and the sound of all the treadmills is like white noise. My Sunday afternoon long runs gave me time to think about my life, my goals, and my new running hobby."

Consider your pace locked and loaded thanks to all those buttons. "I've learned how to use the numbers on the treadmill screen to my advantage," says Goldstein. "I'm constantly increasing my speed or incline every few minutes to push myself past what I think I can do, or I'll aim to keep running until the next minute has elapsed. It's really helpful to use those numbers as motivation." (Working on getting faster? Here are 22 ways to push the pace.)

"Can we talk about how glorious running while watching a great movie or TV show is? You're running, your favorite movie is on, and suddenly you've run for two hours without even noticing," says Brooklyn-based runner Billy Henehan. "You can't watch TV when you run outside!" (Watching an entire season of Orange is the New Blackwhile on the treadmill? Now that's something worth celebrating.)

"I love being able to zone out on a treadmill without having to pay attention to traffic, weather issues, or darkness," says New York City-based runner Gianna Alvino. "As long as I have a towel and a water bottle, I'm happy."

"I once ran 20 miles on the treadmill during marathon training," says Washington, D.C.-based runner Brittany Pitonzo. "I watched two Lifetime movies and spent 30 minutes FaceTiming with my best friend! Now, I love mixing up my speed and interval workouts on the treadmill to push my pace and intensity. It's like a game!" (Just be sure to recover properly afterward.)

"You can run in shorts in the winter without looking like you have something to prove or being at risk for getting frostbite," says Henehan. "In the summer, there's air-conditioning, and on rainy days, it's still dry on the treadmill."