Tired of Running Outdoors?
Here are Some Treadmill Running Tips

Here are some treadmill running tips to keep you in shape throughout the winter so you are not bored out of your mind and so you won't have to start back at square one, come spring!

Put the Treadmill on an Incline of at Least 1%

This is the most important of these treadmill running tips, especially if you are training for a road race.

Running on treadmills is very different from running outside, but one way you can make the treadmill more like the outdoors is to put it on at least a 1% incline.

I first heard this when I hired a gym trainer back in my single days, when I could afford such luxuries ;-) and told her I wanted to some day run a marathon. However I only recently understood the reason for this, after my friend Heather who is also a running mom and a fitness expert explained it so well.

Anyway, the idea is that when you are running outdoors, you are not only doing all the work of putting one foot in front of the other, but you are also doing the work of moving your body forward. However on the treadmill, all you have to do is put one foot in front of the other and your body will automatically move forward as the course moves beneath you. Of course many of us running moms know this requires a little co-ordination in order to stay on our feet and avoid falling on our noses. ;-)

However pushing our bodies up an incline of at least 1% causes us to have to carry our own weight a little more, thus better simulating what we would have to do if we were running outdoors or on a track. And if you are training for a hilly race, you'll want to make the incline a little steeper than 1%.

Custom Search More Treadmill Running Tips: Purchasing a Treadmill Treadmill Reviews Benefits of Treadmill Running Alternative to Treadmill: Rebounder Workout Click Here to Subscribe to Inspiring Running Moms E-Newsletter Visit Running Moms

For more tips on hill training, click here.

Happy hilly running!

Even More Important to Get in Your cross-Training Days When You are Training on the Treadmill

In my opinion running on the treadmill can cause even more injury then running outside. I think this is because when we're running outside, we change our stride to match the way we feel. For example if one knee is hurting a little, we will put more of the work on the other leg for that specific run. But it's hard to change our stride to match the way we feel, when the treadmill is moving under us and we're putting all our effort into keeping up.

So to offset this constant wearing on the same muscles and joints every day, make sure to either take a rest day in between your treadmill runs, or even better, get in some cross training. Here are some cross training ideas. On the other hand the softer surface can be an advantage on your joints and feet if you tend to run on concrete outdoors.

Small Steps are Better

One thing that I realize when I'm running on the treadmill is that I tend to automatically lengthen my stride. I guess I'm thinking bigger steps will help me keep up better. But longer strides are more likely to cause injury, so if you realize you are doing this too, think smaller steps.

Avoid the Bordom with Intervals

The nice thing about running on the treadmill is you don't have to worry about traffic and other things, so you can listen to music, some even read a book or watch TV. However I find these things distracting.

To keep myself from getting bored on the treadmill, and get in a better workout, I like to do interval training on the treadmill. Sometimes I will incorporate music and switch back and forth between sprinting on a flat course to a fast song and then laboring up a hill to a good slow song. This will make your run a lot more fun and before you even realize how hard you are working, you will be breaking a good sweat!

For more on interval training, click here.

Return from Treadmill Running Tips to Running Tips

Return from Treadmill Running Tips to Running-Mom HomePage