You could watch TV or listen to music. Listening to music is really helpful whenever walking or running. Choose upbeat music with a quick beat to keep you stimulated.  You can Tivo your favorite shows and save them for treadmill time. This alone may give you incentive to get on the treadmill.

Try a “book on tape”. Many times it is hard to read while running as your eyes don’t stay level. You could end up with motion sickness! A book on tape may help distract you from obsessively staring at the slow moving timer. Which leads to the next easy suggestion.

Put a towel over the timer so that you’re not watching the time click by. Many times you can easily get bored staring at a timer! Like the old saying of the watched pot that never boils, you will feel as if it was the longest 20 minutes of your life!

Compete with yourself! Everyday challenge yourself to go a little farther. For some people a little competition goes along way for motivation!

Mix up your workouts. Varying the speed and elevation gives you  something else to focus on. If your treadmill is equipped with programmed workouts try a new one each time. This is also good for keeping your muscles from getting bored also!

Think of past relationships  that have ended badly. Although not the most positive tip sometimes people who are angry can get the extra adrenaline going to keep them going. This could end up therapeutic also!

If these things don’t work maybe running outside would excite your senses. You can smell, feel the wind, see things, and enjoy the time. You could also join a running group or makes friends with runners and go with them. The added peer pressure can really pay off!

If you have tried all of these things and you are still bored, maybe running is just not your thing. Try something else like biking, swimming or something. If you keep running when you don’t like it, then you wont keep it up forever.