Treadmill Training

It's February, which means that for a lot of us, it's cold outside.  And dark.  And cold.  And it will be this way forever . . . it seems.



My high school, located just outside of Worcester, Massachusetts, had an indoor track team, but yet we didn't have an indoor track.  As a result, I spent lots of time in the frigid New England air running simulated 400 repeats in the school parking lot, because the outdoor track was covered in snow. Those days were not fun at all, and they permanently damaged my motivation for running outside in the winter months.

Though I still make it outside quite regularly on these cold, cold days, I do defer to the treadmill quite a bit as well.

Sometimes, of course, this adjustment is necessary.  I was forced to log 15 treadmill miles, on a single long run, last winter when the bike paths were still covered in ice (my personal treadmill long run record: 19 miles).  Though runners famously employ the cute term "dreadmill" for this kind of work, I actually don't think that treadmill running is--or always has to be--horribly boring.

Courtesy of Runner's World, here are some suggested treadmill workouts that can keep you active, motivated, and focused during these interminable winter months.  As a supplement, also check out their article on the 1% treadmill incline debate, keeping in mind, of course, that if you're doing a hill workout on a treadmill, this particular debate is irrelevant.  All the more reason to do a hill workout on a treadmill, I guess.