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#1 2007-01-25 09:55:33 am
- kellym
- Member
- Registered: 2006-05-05
- Posts: 67
Treadmill Running
I'll admit it - I'm a cold weather wimp. If I can avoid running in freezing weather, I'll do it... up to a limit. and last night, i think i ran into my limit with a 7 mile run on the treadmill. I'm training for the Shamrock Half in Va Beach in March, and thus far, I've done all my training indoors. I have a 10 miler this weekend that I think i'm just goign to have to suck it up and head outside, but for the rest of my mileage on the treadmill, my question is....
What are your coping mechanisms for running indoors?
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#2 2007-01-25 12:50:15 pm
- sherluck
- Member
- Registered: 2006-01-17
- Posts: 99
Re: Treadmill Running
I can't and I don't. Indoor tracks cause injury to me and treadmills appear not to be the same as running. I couldn't run outside due to 18 hrs work shifts for a month. They had a treadmill at work and I spent a hour an day on it. It really felt like a great workout. But when I finally got out again, it felt like i hadn't run in a month and the times confirmed that.
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#3 2007-01-25 04:37:29 pm
- AllisonM
- Member
- From: Albany
- Registered: 2006-11-10
- Posts: 75
Re: Treadmill Running
Ugh, you are a better person than I am. About 30 minutes is my treadmill limit - I can't stand it.
But that's not helping you, so....
What I do to get through it, besides making sure I have AWESOME music to listen to is play little games with the treadmill like pick up the speed for 1-2 minutes, slow it down for a couple and pick it up again and again so that I'm doing a speed workout on the treadmill. If I'm going fast enough, all I can do is focus on running hard until those two minutes are up. Because I have to focus on running (so I don't fall off) the intervals seem to go by that much faster and before I know it, I'm done.
Okay, it isn't quite that easy, but it does make time go by faster.
Also, put your incline up a couple of degrees. I had read a long time ago that increasing the incline a bit helps you to better replicate how you run outdoors. Don't forget to increase it every once in a while to get some gentle hill work in there too. And get out every once in a while, too. If you don't, your legs will really hurt the next day because despite your best efforts on the treadmill, you really do run differently indoors than out. Okay, at least I do so I'm making grand, sweeping judgements about you, too.
Runners World had a recent article on treadmill running, too.
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7 … -0,00.html
At least this weekend the weather is supposed to get better. I'll be out there too trying to put some base miles in for my own spring adventures so we can (sort of) commisserate in the cold.
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#4 2007-01-25 09:46:07 pm
- SumoRunner
- Member
- From: Latham
- Registered: 2006-01-23
- Posts: 340
- Website
Re: Treadmill Running
I have a treadmill in the basement at my workplace. Haven't used it once yet this year and last year maybe 10 times at most. There's good reason why it's called the dreadmill by most. I can only do about 20 minutes before I get bored out of my mind, so I'll do 15 minutes, get off and lift some weights, then back on for another 15.
Many years ago I used to run indoors at the Union College field house (being an Alum I can get a facility pass). It was 9 laps per mile in the outer lane so I'd do a mile, reverse direction, then another mile. Sometimes I'd do three. The drawback to that is the air is as dry as a desert and the track is dusty. You have to drink a lot of water and you still end up with a dry throat cough when you're done.
These days I simply sit out the bad weather. I average 10-15 miles per week in Jan and Feb. It's enough that when the temps get better I can boost it rather quickly and by late March or April be right back to "normal" training levels. Hence, I never plan any events for the winter, usually don't do any races until spring.
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#5 2007-01-26 02:08:37 pm
- AllisonM
- Member
- From: Albany
- Registered: 2006-11-10
- Posts: 75
Re: Treadmill Running
Hey Kelly -
I found this article on Active.com. It's really only helpful if your treadmill is home (one suggestion is to run for 10 minutes, do some pushups, run 10 minutes, do sit ups, or something like that) but I thought it might be worth checking out.
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=13769
Good luck!
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#6 2007-01-26 03:26:44 pm
- kellym
- Member
- Registered: 2006-05-05
- Posts: 67
Re: Treadmill Running
Thanks guys!
I definitely use the trick about playing with the speed. I think I also need to switch up what I have in my ipod, i've heard the rotation so many times, I'm starting to tune it out.
Thank god for the winter series run this weekend.
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#7 2007-01-26 05:15:14 pm
- AllisonM
- Member
- From: Albany
- Registered: 2006-11-10
- Posts: 75
Re: Treadmill Running
By the way, wave to me as you go around the State Office Campus. I'll be cheering you on from the race entrance to the campus - in a bright red ski jacket (though I think I'm supposed to be on the "outgoing" side). I'm building up my "good running karma" by hanging with the volunteers on Sunday, rather than running.
Last edited by AllisonM (2007-01-26 05:16:09 pm)
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#8 2007-01-29 03:04:59 pm
- kellym
- Member
- Registered: 2006-05-05
- Posts: 67
Re: Treadmill Running
AllisonM wrote:
By the way, wave to me as you go around the State Office Campus. I'll be cheering you on from the race entrance to the campus - in a bright red ski jacket (though I think I'm supposed to be on the "outgoing" side). I'm building up my "good running karma" by hanging with the volunteers on Sunday, rather than running.
argh! i read this too late, else I totally would have introduced myself!
next time, for sure.
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