Tips for Running on a Treadmill
Hi, and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.
When we think about treadmill running, we sometimes consider a second-class form of running. However, there are times when even the strongest opponent will hop on the treadmill for a workout.
There’s no doubt that running indoors on the treadmill can be incredibly effective. It’s also safer, due to the fact that there’s no uneven terrain, no icy patches or road running. Most importantly, treadmill running is convenient and consistent – you get the same run every time and you get to run in a temperature-controlled environment with similar terrain and conditions.
So if you’re thinking about hopping on the treadmill, I’ve put together some tips to bear in mind when switching from outdoor to indoor running.
Test your fitness
One of the biggest challenges to moping indoors is trying to reconcile the fitness that you know you have outdoors with what you are doing for your workouts on the treadmill. There is a proper test you can do for this:
- After a quality warm up, run a 3 mile time trial effort
- Start with the effort you know you could run a 5k outdoors
- Evaluate how you feel every ½ mile, starting at the 1 mile mark, adjusting the pace faster or slower as needed
- At the end you’ll have your new high-end pace and heart rate
Focus on your cadence
The biggest difference you’ll notice between running outside and indoors is that a treadmill on the ground is moving while you stay in place. You’ll particularly notice this when taking note of your pace. For example – an 8 minute mile on your regular run may give you a heart rate of 150bpm and a perceived exertion level of 7, however that same pace on the treadmill has your heart rate at 140bpm and feels more like a 5.5 than a 7. But it’s important not to be disheartened about this, as you can quickly turn it into an advantage by using it to improve your form.
Increased cadence is the easier part of running faster, and the treadmill is the perfect place to get this done. On the treadmill you have a timer right in front of you and little else to distract you. You can also hear the strike of your foot and will be able to find the right spot for your foot placement.
This Treadmill Pace Conversion Chart is really useful.
Use the incline to your advantage
Running on a flat treadmill is comparable to running down a slight decline on the open road. You’ll be tempted to over-stride a bit and lose your natural running form. However, standard treadmill protocol is to set the incline at 1% as standard for all your runs. As you begin to improve on the treadmill, it will feel natural to increase the running speed – but it’s important to remember this won’t really translate to the open road. Instead of just going faster, challenge yourself by increasing your base incline amount. Alternatively, try to alternate between incline and speed adjustments.
Until next time,
Mohsin Salya
