A treadmill desk update

Written 7.18.2013, updated 7.23.2013; reformatted 9.7.2105
In which a new treadmill is constructed, and some facts are faced and important lessons are learned.

But first a computer note

This piece was typed on a very old Mac laptop, and when I say old, I mean about a decade old. The reason for this is that my "new" laptop has been experiencing intermittent keyboard and touchpad freezing. My "new" laptop is now considered "vintage" by Apple, because they stopped selling it five years ago. I purchased it 5.5 years ago, so obviously around here, "new" is a relative term. Apple will not service vintage machines, therefore, I had to find a third party to fix it. And that will take more time than if I'd been able to bring it to the Apple store and have them fix it. So in the interim, I've gone back to my even more vintage machine.

On with the update

But the main reason for this update is the "new" treadmill desk that I now use. I have written about my homemade treadmill desk a number of times, but have never published a photo. It's not much to see, just a 3/4 inch board that lays across the arms of my 10+ year old NordicTrack treadmill that I purchased from Sears. It's not very large, but it's been my full time desk since January of 2012. Not fancy at all, and it seemed to do the job adequately.

But for some reason (engineer that I am) I never paused to consider the vibration of said simple, cheap desk while I was walking, and what effect (if any) that might have on my laptop. Well, recent evidence suggests that the effect might not be insignificant. The laptop is old, and has a fair bit of wear and tear on it-- but no more so than this much older laptop. So why did the newer one fail? I think it's because I didn't isolate the treadmill desk from the treadmill itself. Live and learn as they say, and hopefully the laptop will be fixable.

And if it is when it is returned to me, I will continue to use it on the new improved desk.

The New Improved desk

So what's new about the current design? I'm using the same desk surface, so the work space isn't any larger. This isn't an issue for me, because almost all my writing is done on my computer. I almost never use pencil and paper, I don't even like to print out things any more.

The major difference is that the desk supports are completely isolated and separate from the treadmill. Meaning that the desk no longer vibrates with each step. I could describe in detail the make shift design I wound up using-- constructed of materials found inside and outside my home, no new materials were acquired for this build, and maybe I will if I decide to post a picture.

The Take Away

But the bottom line is for anyone looking to build their own treadmill desk it's very important to have the desk isolated from the treadmill so that it doesn't vibrate. Laptops are not ruggedized, and though it might take some time to do the damage, damage to your machine will be done.

In may case, about six months ago I had to replace my hard drive, and now I will likely have to replace my keyboard and touchpad. It could just be case of an aging computer just giving up the ghost.. however, I'm not convinced that I caused these problems with my poorly considered treadmill desk design.

I will note that the cost of all these repairs is still MUCH less than the cost of "real" treadmill desk, but they do cost, and it is inconvenient and annoying to be without my machine.

Other Lessons Learned

The new design also required that I walk at a slower speed, because I am further from the treadmill controls, because the desk is now positioned in front of the treadmill arms. This means that I'm walking near the end of the treadmill, rather than near the console.

For the longest time, I have been walking at 2 mph while working, quite proudly I should add. Although occasionally I would walk farther, I instituted a rule that I would walk no more than ten miles a day. Ten is a big number, and too much more than that resulted in sore feet. I was quite proud of both the speed and the distance that I covered.

Well, fast forward to today, and I am now walking at 1 mph. At first I slowed down to try and lessen the vibration of the desk, before realizing that the complete redesign mentioned above was necessary. The slower speed both lowers the vibration of the treadmill and the noise the treadmill makes. And it forced me to realize that my insistence on walking 2 mph might not be healthy for me in the long run.

I wrote not too long ago about my switch to clogs this past winter. Well, here in heat of summer, I've been wearing a good pair of sandals instead. And my feet, have been bothering me a bit. Walking at a slower pace helps that a bit.

Walking slower also allows me to be a bit more efficient. I find that I type faster, and with a bit more accuracy. And as I'm not tired after 5 hours, I can work efficiently for a bit longer. I'm forced to admit that my concentration level is better at a slower speed as well. Previously, when I needed to really concentrate, I would stop the treadmill and just stand while I focused. Stopping is not necessary when walking at 1 mph.

One other issue, which is also related to summer, walking at a slower speed means that I stay cooler. Occasionally after a few hours at 2 mph, I felt the need to turn on a fan because I was too warm. This doesn't happen at 1 mph, which means my workspace is a bit quieter. The slower pace makes conversations, both on the phone and in person easier as well.

So setting my pride aside, I'm going to continue to walk at 1 mph from now on. I won't walk as far, but I will still be on my feet rather than on my seat.

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