Surviving The Dreadmill

After a lot of deliberation, I really think that running a 5k this weekend would not be in my best interest.  Last week I said I wanted to do it, but after running 10.5 and 3.5 miles outdoors last weekend, I've been suffering from a sore foot.  There were points in the beginning of the week where I struggled to stand or walk in bare feet, though I was able to run without little pain on the treadmill with my more cushioned running shoes.

Dr. Google brought mixed results.  Metatarsalagia/capsulitis seemed to be the most likely culprits. It's doing a lot better this morning and I think I'll attempt a 10 miler on the treadmill, but I'm not ready to subject it to the pounding of pavement yet.  I'm hoping I can get out for the 5k next weekend instead.

Running on the treadmill all week brings me to write this week's post.  I run on the treadmill.  A lot.  I think it's the reason I have been able to maintain a run streak for 5 years and counting.  I'm not always pounding my joints outside.  Plus, I find there's a lot of benefits of it.

First off, I like the convenience.  Bad weather?  No problem.  I don't like running out in the rain or slippery conditions.  I also hate running in the dark, and with my job it's still dark when I leave the house and in the winter I don't have a lot of daylight left when I get home.  I also like that I can watch tv, movies, and catch up on my DVR, things I don't always have time for when life gets super busy.  I also like how I can control paces on it.  Outside there's a lot of variables, but for pace specific workouts I can set it and go, not worrying about cars/other things that could get in the way.  I know the pace is not always accurate, but I adjust so that it feels solid.

They are not always fun runs, which I know many runners can agree with.  I've done up to 22 miles on my treadmill, so I know three plus hours of running in place can be tedious, but I've got a number of things I've done to make it a little more tolerable.

First off, I recommend using at least a little incline on the treadmill to help make it feel more like outside.  There's a lot of theories on it, how much you need to counteract the lack of wind resistance and the fact that the treadmill belt is moving so you aren't actually propelling yourself forward, and I've found that 1.5-2% works best to replicate outdoor running for me.  I play with incline through workouts because running at the constant incline can be stressful on your shins/ankle/feet, but I usually try to do a lot of running at a minimum of those.

Different ways to keep yourself from dying from boredom...

• Fartlek style: This one I've been doing a lot lately and you need access to a tv.  I start at a speed, usually a slower one for me.  Let's use 6.0 (10:00 mile pace).  I run that pace for 5:00, then bump up .1 for the next 5:00 chunk (0-5 @ 6, 5-10 @ 6.1, 10-15 @6.2, etc).  I will run that pace for 5:00- UNLESS a commercial comes on.  Then I bump up .5 (so in this case 6.5) for the duration of the commercial break.  Once the show is back on I return to what speed I should be going during that 5:00 chunk.  So if a commercial goes from 4:00-6:00, I'll resume at 6.1 when it stops.  It keeps me busy because it is constantly changing, no workout is exactly the same, and you can play with a lot of factors: time at each pace, how much you bump up, even incline.  I usually start slow so it doesn't become a full workout, just enough change to make the time go faster.

•  Another fartlek I've used is similar, but with playing cards.  I stick them on the console and flip one over.  I run my starting pace for however many minutes the card dictates.  Number cards equal their number, and I put face cards at 10:00.  Next card is an increase in speed or incline for that time period.  I've done the up and down paced work out above (up .5 then down .4, working my way up) and just a steady climb to decline in pace.  Once again, you don't know what to expect, so it keeps it a little more interesting.

•  Long run: I've used both workouts above for long runs, as well as this one, which I modified from one on the Internet.   It's great because it changes a lot, trains specific paces, and pushes you to run fast on tired legs at the end, challenging, but makes me feel like a champ at the end!

•  0:00-20:00: start low and go up.1 every minute for 10:00 and the down .1 a minute until you hit 20:00 

•  20:00-40:00:  at marathon pace.

•  40:00-50:00: recovery pace

•  50:00-65:00: half marathon pace.     

• 65:00-75:00: recovery pace. 

• 75:00-85:00: 10k pace

• 85:00-90:00: recovery pace. 

• 90:00-95:00: 5k pace   

• 95:00-100:00: recovery, cool down pace

•  Intervals:  Many runners who follow training plans/work to improve race times do intervals.  They are some of my favorites.  It's great because it once again changes paces, challenges you mentally, and makes time fly.  A basic one is quarter mile repeats, but you can do this at any distance.  You do a mile warm up, then run .25 at a pace that is challenging, usually faster than 5k pace, but it doesn't kill you on the first few reps.  The last few should feel hard.   It may take a few tries to try and find the perfect pace.  Then you do .25 recovery at a slower, conversational pace.  Start with 4-6 and work your way up to 12 repeats for 5k, more for further distances.  I try to do one of these a week at varying distances. 

• Tempo run:  These are good for building your stamina at harder paces.  A lot of coaches/programs tell you to do this at roughly 10k pace.  I like to do more of a progression tempo run.  I'll start at a little slower than 10k pace and increase pace every .25/.5/etc until I am at 5k pace or even a little faster.  I like this one because it doesn't give you a rest period like interval or fartleks, so it pushes you mentally.  

I've mentioned workouts that talk about pacing.  If you are unsure I have found this to be helpful: McMillan Running Calculator.  It gives you training paces and race time predictions.  It's a good starting point.

I hope someone finds some of these workouts helpful, interesting!  On that note, I think it is time to go prep for my run.  Happy running, everyone! 😊😊😊😊😊