Treadmill Trails

In an effort to get moving during cold New England winters I recently bought a treadmill. These trails are inexpensive at $.99 for 30 minutes and $1.99 for a longer version. You own each purchase forever. The narrator is soothing and informative. He tells you to start slow and when to speed up and nearing the end when to start cooldown plus information about the trail you are on. Photography is wonderful. You do each one at your own pace as there is no camera watching you to speed or slow the film according to your pace which is okay to have but not critical. I found that one of the other programs had me running through a crowd which was in the middle of the film and off putting to say the least. I especially love the 60 minute Boston. So, in the end, I sometimes use the free version of one program and most of the time I use this one. Exploration is a must! I really appreciate the effort and time put into Treadmill Trails.

I’ve tried several virtual treadmill apps, and this one is at the top of my list. The videography is amazing; the images are crisp and clear, and as a bonus, every trail I’ve seen happens to be on a beautiful day with an amazing sky, and the natural light filtering along the way really creates an authentic experience. I like the immersion with the way moving along the trail was filmed. If you’ve tried other apps, you may have noticed that how the camera is moving is not how you may be moving. Not the case here. It really is easy to be in the scene in a very realistic way, whether you’re walking or running. This even manages to be more realistic than some other apps that track your cadence and speed up if you speed up. You don’t need that here, it all works! You don’t need a monthly subscription, and what you buy you keep, all at a good price. Customer service is amazing. Do you want to do something for yourself that gives you a boost and makes life a bit more bearable during difficult times? Invest in a couple of treadmill trails. Someday you may want to visit these places yourself, but even if you don’t, this app is really the next best thing.

I have been to 20 different countries in the last year alone- Cambodia, Ireland, Spain, England, France, Australia, and on. Each video is well done- I have not suffered any lag time as some have on other apps. The scenery is amazing (especially the places I have never visited, like Asia). The cost for enjoying a walk (or you can run to the video as well and get “there” in half the time, unless you bought the hour vids which are only $1 more). It is a great distraction and you can listen to your own music while you are on a trail going to a beach, a landscape high over the islands of Hawaii- I like listening to easy jazz, sometimes classical or Christian (depending on artist, tempo, mood), country western and musical instruments only (like classical guitar, flute, or jazz Cello). If 30 minutes is not long enough take a longer hike for up to an hour through verdant flower gardens in Canada, the steppes of India, or the desert plains of Arizona, Nevada, and the flowering hills of Marin and Sonoma counties in California. Enjoy the walk- when any one asks why you didn’t answer the phone, tell them you just came back from Colorado.