Treadmill Running to Avoid the Weather

With the weather becoming increasingly nasty, there are different ways that you can approach your winter running. You could go for a winter training camp . You could wrap up, get off road and enjoy the extra resistance – and cushioning that the mud provides. Or you can run on the treadmill…

The running machine can be a great tool for running generally. You can still get that same endorphin high, a great sweat, and an awesome session – even if you lose the scenic element.

For the days that I run on the treadmill, here are some of my tricks to make it the best experience possible.

1) Wear the right clothes. You are bound to get hot while running on the treadmill because, unlike outdoors, there will not be any wind to cool you off. I stick with lightweight tops and shorts to keep me nice and cool.

2) Have everything that you need in the cup holders of the treadmill. Water, fuel, more water, a towel, your music, and whatever else you need to finish your run without having to stop. Being able to have all of your stuff at arm’s length (especially lots of water) in the cup holders while you run is really convenient.

3) Distract yourself. In the same way that you might watch videos on your turbo, you can do the same with the treadmill. You can now even get treadmill training videos – we reviewed the first by www.thesufferfest.com a few months back.

4) Test yourself. I love playing around with the speed and testing out my current fitness level. Most of my runs on the treadmill are progressive runs where I turn up the speed each mile. I also love throwing in fartleks or doing 400/800/mile repeats. Try some chorus sprints where you set the treadmill to a sprint during the chorus of the songs that you listen to!

5) Switch up the incline. Do you have an upcoming hilly race? Try to mimic the course by creating similar hills on the treadmill. You can bring the race elevation chart with you so you can mimic the course. Hill repeats are an incredible workout, the treadmill may be your best option to do them. It is amazing how quickly heart rate goes up when you throw in a few hills on the treadmill.

6) Focus on your form. For every 1/2 mile of your run, focus on different parts of your form (arm swing, legs, stride, posture) and try to improve them. For the last mile of your run on the treadmill, put all of those parts together for some good looking running form.

7) Use the treadmill to force yourself to slow down. Are you one of those runners that loves going fast every single day, and are feeling burned out or constantly injured? Then try using a treadmill to slow you down on those days. You can set it at a slower speed, zone out and force yourself to relax.

8) Use it as mental training. If the treadmill is really hard for you, then every time you do have to use it, just think of it as great mental training. You are accomplishing something that is really hard, which is making you mentally tougher. If you can run miles and miles on a treadmill, just think of how easy it will be mentally when you are running outside again.

Send us a message or leave a comment and let us know if you have any questions! We all have our own thoughts on the matter, and we all have something different that suits us.

See what’s up next week for our #RunFormFriday tip! For more in depth understanding on how to put this into practise, get in touch and we’ll see how we can help!

Don’t forget, if running is getting you down (or the runner/triathlete in your life!) we do run technique 121 sessions, and we can always do gift vouchers as well!