More runners than ever before are incorporating the treadmill into their running regimens.
Used to be, treadmills were clackety pieces of almost-useless indoor machinery. Now they’re smooth, sleek, and great to run on, in summer and in winter, in daylight and (especially) in darkness.
There are as many reasons to run on a treadmill as there are workouts you can run on one. Jamey Canipe, for example, recently had a skin-cancer scare and doesn’t want another one. She’d rather do her running indoors.
Karen Williams has a 14-year-old autistic son and needs to be at home with him. And Paula DePaolo, who lives in rural Alaska, wants to avoid the bears that roam the nearby trails. These runners are just a few converts in what is quickly becoming a national obsession. According to a recent survey, 43.4 million Americans ran on a treadmill sometime in 2002. That compares with just 5.6 million trail runners, even though trail running would seem so much more appealing.
More runners than ever before are incorporating the treadmill into their running regimens.
From anecdotes and surveys, it’s clear that runners are using treadmills in innovative ways to improve their motivation, health, training, and racing performances. The following real-world examples reveal what treadmill running can do for you, too.
Stay-at-home moms . . . frequent business travelers . . . world-class athletes . . . they all have a story to tell about how the treadmill has become a feature of running in their lives.
Lose weight and get in super shape. When Kevin Dear began running in June of 2002, he went straight to the treadmill at his local YMCA. He figured it was the safest place for a beginner to start, particularly since he was worried about injuries. At 6’ 1”, Dear weighed 250 pounds, and he knew his running and weight-loss program could succeed only if he managed to stay healthy. He increased his mileage gradually, progressed nicely, and decided to enter the 2003 Suzuki Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego. By then, he’d dropped to 200 pounds and felt more confident about his running. Dear ran 3:31 at Rock ’n’ Roll and improved his time to 3:17:31 just 4 months later at Twin Cities. “I do about 80 to 90 percent of my training on the treadmill,” says Dear. “Where I live in northern Iowa, the winters are cold and the trails few and far between. The treadmill lets me run in good conditions and provides the cushioning I need to prevent injuries.”
Stay in shape while you’re traveling. Frequent business travelers may be called road warriors, but it’s not because they’re training hard on the roads. For the most part, they’re racing from airport to hotel to meetings to airport to hotel, and so on. It’s exhausting stuff. But many of these road warriors are in fact runners who believe their miles logged in their hotel gym make them more energetic and productive while traveling. “Treadmills help me run when I’m traveling and can’t do runs in familiar territory,” says Dale Malloy. “A treadmill offers low-impact running, controlled weather conditions, and ready availability. I can maintain a training program that would otherwise be difficult with the time pressures of getting to early-morning meetings.”
Beat the weather. This one’s so obvious that it hardly deserves a mention. It gets one, however, because it’s so powerful. When treadmills began improving and attracting more runners a decade or so ago, most were bought for winter running. Now that the mills are widely available, many runners turn to them in summer as well. “I run on treadmills whenever there’s too much heat and humidity, or when there is too much snow and ice, and when the mosquitoes and deer flies are too thick,” says Robert Cohn. “In the Midwest, where I live, that leaves a 2-week window for outdoor running every spring and fall.”
Many runners train on treadmills because their decks are softer than asphalt roads. Some treadmills go too far—last year Runner’s World tested one brand that felt more like a trampoline than a treadmill—but most strike a reasonable balance between cushioning and stability. And it’s a balance your body will appreciate. “The treadmill is a good alternative when I feel my legs are taking too much of a beating on the roads,” says Shari Wolkon. “Every couple of weeks I do one of my long runs on a treadmill to give my knees a break.” Some sound advice.
Get over your fear of embarrassment. Many people like the idea of beginning a running program, but hate the thought of doing it in public. They know they’ll be slow and perhaps awkward. Why put yourself on display? With a home treadmill, you don’t have to. It’s the perfect solution. “I’d tried running a few times but was too embarrassed to run slowly enough for my fitness level, so I wore myself out quickly and then gave up on the sport,” says Jeffrey Windsor. “On the other hand, the treadmill in my basement lets me run at a slower speed that’s more appropriate for me. When I started using it, I couldn’t go very far at first, but after a month I could run 3 miles. In 6 months, I ran a 2:05 half-marathon.”
Fix your form. When you run on a treadmill, especially one that’s positioned in front of a mirror, you have little choice but to check out where your feet are landing and how you’re holding your arms. What else you gonna do? “When I’m running on a treadmill without any worries about traffic or other road obstacles, I use the time to concentrate on my form,” says Ken Pliska, a top U.S. marathoner. “I used to have more of a heel-strike, but the treadmill has helped me correct this and develop a better push-off from my toes.”
Stay home with the kids. Tess Aguirre has five daughters under the age of 10 and still manages to fit in her workouts. More than that, she trained for and finished a recent Los Angeles Marathon (in 5:17) and the America’s Finest City (San Diego) Half-Marathon (2:22). “There is no way I could maintain my training schedule if I had to run outside,” says Aguirre. “That would require a sitter, which isn’t always a possibility. I have my treadmill in the garage, with an assortment of toys, bikes, and our favorite CDs. The girls seem to enjoy our ‘playtime’ together, and my treadmill training allows me to stay active and healthy.”
Stop sneezing. Seasonal allergies come and go, causing problems for runners who are sensitive to certain pollens. You can’t run a great workout when you’re sniffling and sneezing, so indoor training offers a welcome alternative. Canada’s Courtney Babcock set a national record for 5000 meters at the 2003 Paris World Championships shortly after a great tune-up workout on a treadmill. “I have allergies and don’t train that well outdoors in the spring and summer, so my coach and I decided to try a hard indoor workout just before I left for Europe,” she says. “I wasn’t sure how feasible it was, but I pushed really hard and finished it.”
“A treadmill offers low-impact running, controlled weather conditions, and ready availability.”
Get off the couch. Okay, we all have days when we just can’t get it together for the workout we’d planned. You wouldn’t think Laurie Kearney is one of those runners, not when you consider that she’s completed 92 marathons, but she swears she is. She also believes the treadmill is the secret to her many successes. “I’m very lazy,” she claims, “and the treadmill forces me to run at a required pace. I get injured when I run the turns on a track, but on my treadmill I have a favorite workout of 8 miles starting at 8 miles per hour, and increasing by 0.1 mile per hour after each mile mark. This is one great marathon workout.”
Find your rhythm. Buffalo, New York, is not generally considered one of the great places to train in winter, but elite marathoner Kevin Collins makes it work for him by spending most of his time on a treadmill. “The treadmill training teaches me an incredible rhythm,” says Collins. “I do all my steady runs on the treadmill and some of my tempo runs. The treadmill keeps me under control. I’m amazed at how many 5-minute miles I can string together.”
Get in shape while watching TV. Every indoor runner knows TV-watching helps pass the time, but Carl Rundell has figured out how to make good use of commercials. He turns his workout into an interval session, filling advertising minutes with fast repeats. “I like to go to the gym when a good sitcom is on, and I stake out a treadmill close to the big-screen TV,” says Rundell, a top marathoner from Michigan. “I run at an easy pace during the actual sitcom but really push it during the commercials, either by increasing my pace or the incline of the treadmill. With all the ads on TV these days, you end up packing a lot of repeats into a 30-minute show.”
Practice running faster. Training on a treadmill can help you improve your performance for almost any distance. A key factor: The treadmill allows you to select the precise pace you need to get faster. Last March, Heather Housley ran a 2:06 at the Moab (Utah) Half-Marathon. Then she began doing a weekly speed workout on a treadmill. Five months later, she improved her half-marathon time to 1:46. “I like the way the treadmill helps you run exactly as fast as you want,” says Housley. “You don’t have to measure anything or constantly check your watch. You just set your pace and keep up with the belt.”
On an undulating road or trail course, it’s virtually impossible to have complete control over your pace every mile. On a treadmill, it’s easy. This makes a treadmill the perfect place for running negative-split workouts (start slow, finish fast), arguably the simplest and most effective “hard day” workout for any runner to do. “I normally run a 6- to 8-mile workout with a 1-mile warmup and then try to increase my pace by 15 to 30 seconds each mile,” says Phyllis Drake. “These negative-split workouts have helped me tremendously in races. I’m able to hold or increase my pace, while others are slowing down.”
Run forever. Top U.S. marathoner Kim Jones has run on a treadmill for more than 15 years. She began because she was frustrated by the harsh weather at her then home in Spokane, Washington. To fight back, Jones bought a treadmill and then began doing many of her weekly miles on it. Things even got personal; she gave her treadmill a name—“Buddy,” or “Bud” for short. “I find the treadmill very stress-free, since I don’t have to worry about the weather or cars or anything like that,” says Jones. “The key for me is listening to music or watching the news on TV to avoid boredom.”
Q : What’s the main thing to look for in buying a treadmill?
A : Buying a treadmill Is like buying a pair of shoes (only it’s just a little more expensive!). That is, just as every runner has a best and favorite pair of shoes, you will also have a best and favorite treadmill. Look for these key attributes: stability (the treadmill shouldn’t shake, rattle, and roll), a smooth ride (the belt shouldn’t feel herky-jerky), and a control panel and control buttons that are easy for you to use.
TreadmillCentral.com offers plenty of information on treadmills and other exercise machines. Once you find one with the features, power, and price you’re looking for, you can buy it straight from the Web site—with the help of an on-staff personal trainer.
Three things to remember about this chapter:
1. The treadmill is a great all-weather training device. On a treadmill, you never have to worry about the heat and humidity or the biting wind chill. You never have to dress in 3 pounds of bulky clothing. You can simply enjoy running the way it was meant to be—free and light. This will help you stay motivated.
2. The treadmill gives you total control. You can run as fast or as slow as you want, and you will know your pace exactly from the treadmill controls. This makes the treadmill an excellent device for slowly, gradually increasing your running workouts.
3. The treadmill is kind to your body. In general, treadmills are softer than the roads, tracks, and concrete you might otherwise have to run on. This shock-absorbing quality of a treadmill helps keep you running healthy and injury-free.