Motivation for Treadmill Running
Often referred to as the ‘dreadmill’ running on a treadmill does have it’s place and can be a useful too when training in bad weather or even managing child care problems! However finding the motivation to run on the treadmill can often be easier said than done!
First off there’s a lot of conflicting advice as to whether running on a treadmill is good or bad and if it’s more or less beneficial than running outside. To start with a run on a treadmill is certainly better than no run at all…
In terms of difficulty, on one hand, when training on a treadmill, the belt is moving under you and there is no wind resistance for your body to counter, so it should in theory be easier to run. Compare that to outside, your legs have to propel your motion forward while pushing through the resulting wind resistance (however minor it may be).
Studies and scientific research have proved that setting the treadmill to a 1% grade accurately reflects the energy costs and simulates outdoor running. Therefore, by setting the treadmill to a 1% grade, you can offset the lack of wind resistance and the belt moving under you to make treadmill running the same effort as running outdoors.
With that in mind it’s arguable that running on a treadmill is actually no different to running outside… there’s also some interesting perks to running on a treadmill, which you should use to help motivate you to run on the treadmill when you’re unable to run outside.
Practicing nutrition and drinking on the go is much easier on a treadmill. You don’t have to worry about planning a route to go past a parked car or run past your house or have the luxury of someone on the bike alongside you.
When the weather is really bad and it might even be dangerous outside to run often the treadmill is the only choice. I’ve ran 60mins around a 400m loop in an indoor car park before in Font Romeu, trust me the treadmill is a better option! So rather than skipping the run altogether take your run indoors on a treadmill, you’ll feel much better post run than you would have done had you skipped the session altogether.
An interesting tool I’ve seen runners use a treadmill for is to simulate a specific course. For example if you were running Boston or New York Marathon you can either pre programme the inclines into the treadmill or input it manually on the run to simulate the inclines. You can even put blocks underneath the rear of the treadmill to simulate downhill running and practice the pounding on your quads ahead of race day. This is a great way to condition your body for the challenge ahead.
The downside of treadmill running is certainly the boringness of it! Regardless of the podcast or Netflix series you’re watching you can’t beat outdoor running! The sights, the smells, the pure buzz you get from running (in my opinion) you simply can’t replicate that on a treadmill! Although you can use a treadmill to help with pace judgement, there’s an argument that if you use a treadmill for all of your running it’s easy to ‘set and forget’ when it comes to pace. This won’t help you when it comes to race day and finding and maintaining your goal race pace.
So with all that in mind, if you’re listed to a treadmill for child care reasons, for bad weather or simply time restrictions here are my top tips for motivation when running on a treadmill;
1) How bad do you want it?
Sometimes we have to do things we don’t like to achieve our goals. Have a positive mindset and attitude towards running on the treadmill and it will make the time go much quicker!
2) Be entertained
Have a really good playlist or listen to a podcast when training on a treadmill. If you have access watching something on your tablet or TV is also a great way to pass the miles.
3) Have a purpose
All runs should have a purpose and the treadmill is no different. Each run, no matter if it’s a key session or an active recovery run should have a purpose to help you get one run closer to your goals.
4) Mix it up
Use the treadmill as an opportunity to play around with paces and inclines. It’s easy to run a fartlek or a progressive run on a treadmill. This can also help pass the time as you’re thinking about the session rather than the time ticking away!
5) Cover the time!
If you’re just running put a towel over the clock so you can switch off and enjoy the run without clock watching the whole run!
6) Split the run in two
If you have a 60-minute run planned but can’t face 60-minutes in one go split the run in two and run 30-minutes in the morning and 30-minutes in the evening. It might not be as productive as the 60-minute run but it’s better than nothing!
7) If all else fails do something different
Get on a bike, attend a spin class, go for a swim. Sometimes it’s fun to ditch the prescribed run and just get out and be active for a break from your training structure.
