It's getting cold, so cold out there.
But nothing gets in the way of your run. When you hit that stride, that first bead of sweat, that new PR, there's no better feeling. And you won't a little cold get in the way.
For those of you who are outdoor runners but are considering moving inside, here's a few tips for transitioning to treadmill running.
1. Always keep an incline of at least 1%
Roads are rough surfaces with uneven gravel, sometimes patches of grass, and some small hills. Treadmills don't have any of these characteristics, so in order to keep a consistent feeling during your transition, set your treadmill to a 1% incline at all times. During warm up, the run, HIIT, sprints, and cool down. Always keep it at 1%. When/if you go back to road running in the spring, you'll be ready to....hit the ground running.
2. Enjoy the benefits of the treadmill
Going for an outdoor run is excellent. The wind, the air, the other good looking runners. But there are downsides, like having to carry your water in a pouch on your waist, and your phone in an armband, and your keys in a napsack, and your wallet in another napsack.
With the treadmill, you can lay it all out on the machine, and not have to worry about holding on to anything. So that means you should feel free to bring an extra bottle of water, a towel, maybe the larger headphones than you're used to. Bring it all. The treadmill can handle it.
3. Use the incline control at your will
When running outdoors, we look for hills that fit our desire to climb, and hope that it works with our given path for that day. With the treadmill, you are in complete control of the incline. You can control it to go as high or as low as possible, for as long as you want. And if you don't know what the right incline level is, there's a great solution for that :-)
4. Work in some weights into your run
One of the benefits of running on a treadmill is your access to equipment of the gym. So next time you step onto the treadmill, bring some 2lb or 3lb weights with you. When you're doing your hikes, you can pick up those 2lb weights and start doing some arm work. You'll get lean biceps and triceps, and burn more calories.
5. Buy some new gear (on sale!)
When the fall starts, all the major athletic brands start selling their cold weather gear. And some of it is amazing, but a lot of it is very expensive. But when they start selling the cold gear, the warm weather gear goes on sale. And now that you're running inside, you don't know all that extra insulation (and cost!) So use your transition to treadmill as an excuse to buy awesome new running gear, for cheap!
6. Use a class
Despite the shameless plug, this is advice that can really help. By having a trainer guide you through the treadmill workout, you'll be less scared of making the transition. You won't be nervous about "getting the workout right," and you won't feel like you wasted time. The other benefit is you won't have to worry about how to keep busy given that you may have a bit less exciting scenery at the treadmill than outdoors :-) Treadmill classes for everyone!
7. Keep something consistent
A lot of these tips are focused on the benefit of treadmill over outdoor, or about how you should do things differently on the treadmill. However, to make the transition easier, it's important to keep somethings the same, so that it feels to you like just another run. The easiest and most logical is to keep the same shoes. You're comfortable in them, you've worn them in just the write amount, you know exactly how to tie them. Those constants are all really powerful when you're making the transition to the treadmill for the first time.
8. Alternate a run and a lift
Numerous studies have proven that incorporating a little bit of weights into your run, or run into your weights, can help drive calorie burn. So given that you're near a full sets of weight when you run on a treadmill, try an alternating set of lifting and running. Here's a quick example:
1. Run at 9mph for 1:30
2. Bench Press - 1 set of 10, using 10 pound dumbbells
3. Run at 9.5mph for 1:30
4. Bench Press - 1 set of 10, using 12.5 pound dumbbells
3. Run at 10mph for 1:00
5. Bench Press - 1 set of 8, using 15 pound dumbbells.
And don't worry, despite what you might think, bulking up with bench work is one of the biggest misconceptions of fitness.
9. Run faster
Outdoors, you may be an 8 minute/mile pace runner, or 7.5mph. That's your speed when you have wind resistance, uneven terrain, and hills. On the treadmill, none of those things are true. You have a smooth surface, impact absorbing treadmill, no extra wind, and any "hills" are in your control. So push your speed a little, instead of doing the 8 minute/mile, try pushing yourself to a 7:30 minute mile, or 8mph. You'll realize that it actually doesn't feel that much harder, if at all.