Treadmill issues

I was running on my treadmill about two weeks ago when it started making noise. Every time I would strike the running deck with my left foot, it would sink and feel soft like their wasn't any shock absorption. It also sounded like medal was scraping against each other. I continued running for a few more laps and stopped. To me it seemed that the shock absorbers on the left side of the treadmill had failed.

After lunch, I asked my husband to go down and test it. I wanted to see if he agreed with me if the shock absorbers needed to be replaced. He got on the treadmill and ran for a bit. He thought it was the shock absorbers too. My husband called the treadmill company and described the issue to customer service. They agreed it was that the shock absorbers needed to be replaced and would send us new ones.

The new shock absorbers arrived at the house last week. My husband got his tools out and replaced them. When he finished, he got on the treadmill to test it out. The new parts didn't work. It was still making the scraping metal sound and felt soft when his left foot touched the tread deck. He lifted up the treadmill deck to look underneath. It was then he saw the real damage. A thin metal piece of the treadmill that was attached to the frame had completely broken off. The left side of the treadmill wasn't secure and that is why it felt soft and was making noise.

My husband called the treadmill company to see if that could be replaced and schedule a service technician. When he described the problem to customer service, they asked if my husband could take photos and send them to the company. The service operator said she would forward the photos to the appropriate people. The people she is sending the photos to would determine if the part could be replaced or if we would receive a brand new treadmill. The treadmill I'm running on is just over a year old. This process is supposed to take 5-10 business days. Which is agony to me.

Unlike most people, I love running on the treadmill. I love that I can just run long or mix it up with hills or intervals. The treadmill has helped me over the years lose weight and help me run faster. I see the treadmill as the greatest tool to help me succeed.

I have running outside since my treadmill can't be used. I have been running around town and at a local college track. I have been switching it up. It's been going OK. Most of the runs have been with sunny or partly cloudy skies. I did gut it out and run in the rain twice. So until my current treadmill is fixed or replaced, I will be running outside. I have to wait another six business days until we find out what is going to happen. For me, that is the longest wait.