How do you treadmill runners do it!

EricaH7 wrote: »

How do you keep yourself focused for a long run on a treadmill?

Like Kristine I watch the speed/ pace. I try to work it out so I end at the exact time I plan, such as 4 miles in 40:00. It becomes a math problem and a challenge.

I'm a princess and I hate running outdoors when it's much below freezing. Not fun at all to me. I happily run on the treadmill all winter and outside all summer.

I've learned to love the treadmill with the help of a towel thrown over the screen, audiobooks, a good playlist, and an e-book reader (as well as the Zombies, Run! app.) I don't use all these things at once but I do vary my routine - some days I do just the audiobook, sometimes I blast my music and read a new book on my tablet (I have the Overdrive app and can read downloaded library books on it so it's free and uses no data or wifi), sometimes I do music and a Zombies, Run! mission on "steady pace" mode.

Intervals are another good way to pass the time. If I do 8-10 sprint/walk or sprint/jog intervals I can kill half an hour without even noticing the time because I'm so focused on adjusting the speed, counting the intervals, etc. Sometimes I do half an hour of slow hills and then half an hour of sprint/walk or sprint/jog, sometimes I just do sprint/jog HIIT-type stuff if I'm doing a shorter session.

The towel over the screen is key so I don't have to watch the minutes and miles tick by too.

I listen to music

Alternating speeds does help. I often start at a long distance conversational pace for ten minutes, and increase to my 10K or Half marathon pace for 6 minutes, dropping back to that conversational pace for ten then, perhaps a 5 K pace for 5, then back to conversational etc.

Breaking up the pacing, keeping track of the faster paces for a shorter time, keeps me more focused.

When your choice is either a treadmill or never being able to run, then the treadmill suddenly becomes a very attractive option, and with that mindset, you get used to it.

One thing to try is a variety of interval training workouts. One that I use a lot is 4 min running, 1 min either jogging or incline walking. If you push the intervals, this can be a tough workout--it's one of my "1000 calorie" runs that I try to complete in less than 55 minutes.

Another workout I do are what I call "ladder intervals". I run 10 minute segments in which I start at a recovery speed and then increase by 0.1 mph each minute--for example start at 6.3 mph and increase to 7.2 by the end of 10 min, then start the "ladder" over. You can keep the "range" of speeds the same or increase/decrease them as you go. If you are feeling good, you can increase the range of speeds. I use the random incline feature on my treadmill so that the incline constantly changes as well.

Both of these have the advantage of breaking up the run into smaller chunks and keeping your mind engaged.

As for longer, endurance runs--well, you just have to gut those out. Sometimes I cover the console so I can't see the timer and choose a number of songs I am going to listen to before I look at the time again. I decide to run for 10-12 songs before looking at the console, which is usually good for 45-50 min. Or I hang a magazine/book rack over the console and watch a show or movie on my iPad.

I do prefer running outdoors, but I'm also one of those weird people who actually enjoys running on a treadmill. I'm in New England, and I am not going to suck it up and run outside in the winter (when there's 5' of snow on the ground, I'd rather be X-country skiing).

My treadmill is in the basement, and if I'm not watching hockey, I'll crank up the music, muck around with the speed settings, and before I know it, I've done ten miles or so.

It depends how long is long?! Personally, I can't go more than 1 hour or I get bored. What I try to do is challenge myself either by increasing the incline and/or doing fast sprints and/or running at a certain speed during one song. It helps...good luck!

I'm just getting used to a treadmill because I am a delicate princess about weather. It's not awful. I tend to let my mind wander when I run anyway, even with music. I do find it helpful to throw a towel over the thing. I also find the radio more engaging that a straight playlist.

I have a treadmill in the basement, which I use when the weather is bad or too hot or too cold. I've done up to 20 mile runs on it when marathon training but mostly I end up doing either fartleks, intervals or tempo runs on it. I'll usually do 2 miles warmup followed by 3-4 miles of speedwork of some kind then a mile of cool down. I find that the faster paces feel much faster on the TM, so I have to pay attention. For regular runs, one key is to start much slower than usual and make most of the run progressive. Depending on the length of the run, that can mean speeding up every 1/2 mile to 2 miles. On the longer runs, I vary the incline every 1/4 mile or so to replicate the hills around my home. My overall pace is always slower than the same length run outside, which makes it easier on my body but by the time I'm getting bored, my pace is fast enough the miles pass fairly quickly. I listen to music or watch a video on the longer runs, usually one with lots of nature images and very little dialog since the TM is very loud.

SLLeask wrote: »

The roads where I live are really hilly and uneven and gravelly, I LOVE the treadmill. I like to listen to loud music, stare at the blank wall in front of me, zone out and do my thinking... without worrying of I'm going to slip on gravel or twist my ankle in a pot hole!

I agree -- it can be a nice change of pace. I like running in the city where I live, but it's also great to have runs where I don't have to worry about cars or random people trying to talk to me. You can turn off all the parts of your mind that are focusing on safety and your surroundings and really get into the run.

I do incline intervals. I keep more or less the same pace but I vary the incline up and down. I break the time into 1/4 mile segments. On the higher inclines I focus on making it to the end; on the lower inclines I catch my breath and prepare for the next high incline interval. It breaks the distance into short challenges that add up to a longer exercise. The inclines really amp up the calorie burn and my perspiration rate so I feel like I accomplished something.

I used to set a speed and crank along on a 2% grade but that was very boring. Varying the grade from 4 to 10 keeps it exciting.

EricaH7 wrote: »

I love running. I run all spring, summer, and fall. However, I am from Michigan and I am sort of a whimp. I told myself this year I am going to try not to slack off and continue to workout all winter. Usually I quit in the winter and start up again in the spring. I've been trying to go to the gym and run on a treadmill but I find I am so exhausted after a few miles! I usually can run 7-8 outdoors before I feel the way I do after 3 in the gym! I think it is just because I am so focused on watching the time and wanting to be done. I listen to music while I run. Watching tv is not an option. How do you keep yourself focused for a long run on a treadmill?

I have the same experience on the treadmill and never could figure out the difference between it and running outside. I basically endure the treadmill for shorter distances and run outside as often as possible except when it becomes unsafe to do so. Good luck!

I love the treadmill. But I tend to throw my phone on it and watch Gilmore girls, or orange is the new black. haha.

EricaH7 wrote: »

I love running. I run all spring, summer, and fall. However, I am from Michigan and I am sort of a whimp. I told myself this year I am going to try not to slack off and continue to workout all winter. Usually I quit in the winter and start up again in the spring. I've been trying to go to the gym and run on a treadmill but I find I am so exhausted after a few miles! I usually can run 7-8 outdoors before I feel the way I do after 3 in the gym! I think it is just because I am so focused on watching the time and wanting to be done. I listen to music while I run. Watching tv is not an option. How do you keep yourself focused for a long run on a treadmill?

Watching TV is an option for me at my gym, and so I get absorbed in a show and next thing I know, I've been running for 30 or 40 minutes.

And when watching TV is not an option, I bring my phone and watch something on it.