Our EDGE Coaches weigh in on how to turn your treadmill session into the ultimate training tool:
ROCK YOUR TUNES (Coach Chris): I encourage my athletes to make a killer up-tempo playlist, or to make a playlist that they can match tempo to - like 2 faster upbeat songs and one slower (not like ballad... maybe a power ballad?) and match effort.
MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL (Coach Robyn): Tread time means form time. Use mirrors and windows to monitor form – careful not to crowd the front of the treadmill and aim for left-to-right symmetry. Take a form check at the top of every mile for 30-60s – the efficiencies you develop will carry over to the rest of your run.
WORK THE COMMERCIALS (Coach Chris): Run the commercials at a harder pace and recover during the show – breaking up effort just like a speed run.
DIAL UP THE HILLS (Coach Matthew): I don't love the tread so l like to incorporate anything to break the monotony. Here are 2 of my favorite tread workouts:
Speed: 6/7s
1:30 @ Marathon pace/6% incline
1:00 Run faster than Marathon pace
1:00 @ Marathon pace/7% incline
RI: 2:00 easy running
Repeat 2-3 X thru and grow from there
Hills:
2 x 1:30 @ 3%
RI: 2:00 easy running
2 x :60 @ 5%
2 x :30 @ 7%
RI: 2:00 easy running
Repeat 2-3 X thru and grow from there
BREAK UP EASY RUNS (Coach Shawna): On easy/recovery runs that can be monotonous, switch up gentle inclines and “declines”/flats – always easier to focus on the shorter distance vs the total easy miles.
For example:
.25 mi gentle incline (even 3% - Chicago is flat so that is a hill!)
.25 mi no incline and increase pace (will feel flat even though you’re not)
.5 mi incline
.5 mi no incline, slightly faster
Progress from there...
GET GRADE-SPECIFIC (Coach Worm): This is a bit of a plug, but in part due to the monotony of training on a treadmill, I partnered in developing an app: RunBetterApp (ios only right now) that allows athletes to run the geographical grades of specific courses. I have already found that athletes enjoy this as it breaks up the monotony on a treadmill with a specific reason to modify the grade changes.
Learn more about EDGE Personal Coaching here
