Does treadmill training fill you with fear? Do you wonder how people can spend hours on a treadmill at a time?
While I can’t imagine doing all of my race training on a treadmill, I do kind of love it for a number of reasons.
First off, climate control. I love that it doesn’t matter what the weather is, I can always run on my treadmill. Too hot? Treadmill. Too cold? Treadmill (though it’s usually not that cold in the DC area). Rain? Snow? Ice? Hurricane? Treadmill.
For me, it’s usually not the weather that keeps me on the treadmill, it’s safety. I don’t like running alone in the evenings, even when it’s light out. Weekends are different because I live along a very well-used trail, but during the week, I just feel better doing my long runs inside. Every so often, I will venture out, but especially as the days get shorter, I stay inside.
But how do I get through the boredom?
TELEVISION.
I only have one TV in my house and it’s in the basement, which is sort of my family room area and also my workout area. (Basement is lovely and completely finished, so it’s not like I’m going down to a cement box all the time.) I just don’t have a ton of time to sit and watch tv with work and all my training. Having the TV “less accessible” means I’m that much less likely to just sit and watch for hours on end.
That said, it means I miss a lot of things I really enjoy. So that’s where treadmill (and bike trainer) time comes in. If I know I have a big workout coming, I will save a certain show that I’m looking forward to and only watch it on the treadmill. It’s a great incentive for me to get in the workout.
Clearly, this won’t work for everyone. But my tip is to incentivize yourself! Do what it takes to get you on that treadmill and get you going. Or suck it up and go outside, regardless of the weather.
I know that many runners don’t like the treadmill but it’s actually where I started running and I love the convenience of it! It’s so easy to knock a couple of miles out on the treadmill. Naturally it can’t replace road running but I do like it!
Mer recently posted…A little ‘chick on chick’ action – Part 1
My short weekday runs are almost exclusively on the TM during the summer – it’s always too hot to run outside in the evening and I won’t run alone in the dark in the mornings before work. I also like the ability to wear just a running bra and shorts in the privacy of my own home (which I’d never do outside). I do have a TV in my 3rd bedroom (which is my TM/craft/library room) but it doesn’t have a DVR or Tivo attached to it – so I’ve gotten to know the early evening TV programming schedule pretty well – which shows work well to run to, etc. However, since I’m usually only going 30-45 min I don’t have quite the boredom issue you do with the longer runs.
Jenny recently posted…Thoughtful Thursday
Oh, hey! I didn’t know you were in the DC area! Greetings, fellow local. 🙂
Jenn @ Fairest Run of All recently posted…In Which Jenn & Moon & Minx & Ruffian & Hoodoo Try Energy Bits
I am! MD side of things, but I work downtown.
Me too! Well, except for the working downtown part. I live in Bethesda, I work in North Bethesda. Helluva commute. 😉
I don’t enjoy running on the treadmill, but I do walk on a heavily inclined treadmill as part of my training. Netflix and an iPad have totally revolutionized my treadmill time. It’s like my own personal TV where I can watch anything I want!
Mary Beth recently posted…Bye-Bye, Kitchen Blinds!
Ooooh. Mary Beth – I had completely forgotten about the Netflix app on my phone! and my TM has an input jack where it will play sound through the built-in speakers … I need to try that next time!!!
Jenny recently posted…Thoughtful Thursday
I find that if I break my treadmill runs into intervals, they go by faster. I do a 5 minute warm up and then split my time into 5 minute intervals. 1 minute at an easy pace, then I up the speed by .3mph every 30 seconds for 2 minutes, then back down for 2 minutes. Then repeat. That way, my focus shifts from, “OMG I have 40 more minutes!” To, “Ok, only 20 more seconds of this speed.” That paired with a pumped up playlist makes the time fly.
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I don’t do a lot of training on the treadmill, but I do kind of like it–I like the way that it lets me easily know my pace and, maybe more importantly, force myself to keep a certain pace. Sometimes that can get discouraging, like if I insist on a certain pace to push myself and then find it too hard to maintain that pace, but mostly I find it useful in training myself to get a better feel for how fast I’m going and to be conscious about that.
JohnSherck recently posted…Catching up on the Training Log
Wow, everyone has some awesome tips! Thanks for sharing!