In every running magazine and running blog I’ve ever read (not to mention the Facebook updates of my family and friends), the treadmill seems to be universally acknowledged as a necessary evil: Yes, people use it, but they curse it the entire time.

But, um… I actually like the treadmill.

This is not to say that running outside isn’t a good and virtuous exercise. It definitely is a fun way to experience a new area, or to explore the place you live, and under the right conditions it can actually be pretty nice. But when I started running several years ago, I started on a treadmill. And one of my best friends runs exclusively on a treadmill.

So in the middle of the heatwave last week, when it was too hot to run outside even in the dark, I decided to hit the (air conditioned) gym instead. And I remembered all the reasons I liked treadmill running back in the day.

1. Weather: I realize this factor is highly dependent on where you live and what time of year it is, but there’s a reason I rarely ran outside when we lived in North Carolina: It’s hot there, for a good portion of the year. And I am extremely hot natured. Running inside, with a fan blowing directly at me, was basically the only thing I could handle.

I didn’t really start running outside on any kind of regular basis until we moved to Maryland, where it gets hot but isn’t as hot and humid for as long as in North Carolina. And the weather in Southern California is so beautiful most of the time that I sort of feel guilty staying inside. But when it’s really hot — or really cold, like when we go to Michigan in the winter — working out inside is far more pleasant than sweating my brains out or freezing my tush off outside.

2. Access: This one is also highly dependent on your personal situation. If you don’t have a treadmill in your apartment complex or home and you don’t belong to a gym, obviously that is a big barrier to using one, and I understand that. One of the great things about running is that you can technically do it anywhere. But if you live in the middle of a city where you are uncomfortable running near your home, if you live in a town or suburb that lacks good places to run nearby, or your work hours only allow you to exercise in the middle of the night, the treadmill is a great option.

In North Carolina, our neighborhood was small enough that running a three-mile loop required going through a couple of sketchy parking lots and in the uneven grass along the side of a busy road, so I avoided that whenever possible. Some of the other places we’ve lived, our neighborhood wasn’t ideal for running, but there was some kind of nice running path just a short drive away. But I know that isn’t the situation for every person.

3. Pacing and timing: I am not now, nor have I ever in my adult life been, a fast runner. I also am not very good at pacing myself. One of the biggest hurdles I faced when I tried to start running as a workout was that I would always begin too fast and feel like I was going to die before I had even finished a mile. I have gotten better at that with time, of course, but I still am not the best at knowing what kind of pace I’m keeping. The treadmill is perfect for that. I can set it at whatever pace I want, and change it whenever necessary, all while knowing exactly how long it should take me to finish whatever distance I’m going for.

Similarly, if I want to push myself to be faster, but not so fast that I can’t keep it up for more than 30 seconds, the treadmill’s got my back. Just bump up the speed a notch or two and go for it.

I’ve also found it much easier for timed walk/run intervals (and for fast/slow intervals), because I have that timer right in front of me, and can sometimes even program the treadmill to switch back and forth between paces at a set time. That is much better for me than trying to look at my watch every few seconds so I can know when it’s time to start running or walking again.

4. Watching TV/zoning out: I know there are a lot of people out there who listen to their music, loudly, all the time. They bop around town to their own personal soundtrack, oblivious to the honks and squeals and shouts of everyday life. But unless you are running someplace unquestionably safe and free of all cars, people and animals, it’s not the best idea to completely tune out the world. You need to hear traffic sounds if you’re running on the sidewalk, you need to know if someone on a bike is about to pass you on the trail, you should probably be aware of anyone lurking in the bushes, and you definitely want to hear that growling animal before you accidentally run through its home.

On a treadmill, you do still need to have a smidgen of consciousness — Is the fire alarm going off? Are you flinging sweat all over the people next to you? Is someone trying to ask you out? Did your shoe just fall off? — but it is much easier to watch a TV show, listen to your loud music, or concentrate on composing the first chapter of your book in your head when the only thing you have to worry about is not falling off the treadmill, Bridget Jones style.