Thursday, February 10, 2011

Dreadmill Work

It's winter, and I work long hours.  That means that the bulk of my weekly runs are on the treadmill, because I leave home when it's dark outside and get home after dark in the evening.  And I was getting to the point where I actually preferred the treadmill to a run outside. You're in a sad state, my friends, if you'd rather run on the treadmill than out in the fresh air - at least if the external temperature is over 35 degrees fahrenheit!

You may remember, too, that I want to get faster.  Running the same treadmill run every week will maintain my fitness baseline, but I won't see any improvement.  So, I did a little research and came across this little gem: Treadmill Effort Chart. And I realized that running on the treadmill without an incline is easier than running outside.  I preferred the treadmill because it was easier than running outside - my innate lazy nature was coming out! I had to nip that in the bud.

So, for the last month I've been doing my treadmill runs on an incline for as long as I can stand it.  I can hold a 3% incline at a 10:00 - 10:30 pace for 35 minutes now, and I expect to increase that to 45 minutes over the next month.  It sucks. Massively. But I am getting stronger and more fit, and I hope I'll see some good results when I get back out on the road again this spring.

I have a half-marathon this weekend, but it's going to be cold so I don't think it will be a true test of my training.  I think I'm going to have to wait until March or April to see if there's any benefit to all this incline running.  I hope there is, because I'd hate to waste all this misery!

9 comments:

  1. Good job on the dreadmill. And good luck this weekend! Maybe you'll be happily surprised!

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  2. I never run on the treadmill with an incline, but I have heard that it's easier than outside running. I must be weird, but running outside always feels easier to me than running on the treadmill.

    Good luck at your half!!

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  3. You are doing such an amazing job! I've said it before but it is worth repeating...you inspire me! Thanks for sharing the link. You know I NEED to read it and put it to use. I'm hoping to really step things up after my half. Good luck this weekend. I will be there cheering you on!

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  4. good luck this weekend. and good for you for making yourself use the incline. i know i should but unless i'm working on hills it's so hard to make myself!

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  5. Good luck this weekend! Sometimes we need to spice it up and try a different run. You should check out www.rebelrace.com

    Rebel Race offer a great 5k and 15k mud run with fun obstacles. Its something where you won't loose your concentration. The mud puts the fun back in running- lol.

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  6. While treadmill running is different than outside, they say that an incline of 1% is a close approximation in effort to running flat outside. If you're training on a 3% incline, I'm sure you'll see some serious improvements!

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  7. Ooooh a 3% incline is badass! Go you! Good luck with your chilly half!

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  8. a half marathon so soon? you are incredible you know that?

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  9. Normally 1 or 2% incline on treadmill equals running outside basing on wind resistance and road varieties. 3% incline sure gives you a minor challenge. Congrats your achievement on treadmills. Keep going.

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