Anyway, I'm happy to report that despite my packed schedule, I was able to get in some pretty good mileage this week. Five on Tuesday, six on Wednesday, five on Thursday, and 10 on Friday. Running my long run during the week is not usual for me, but I knew due to the cold snap I was going to have to run it on the treadmill and since I had the time and opportunity on Friday, I thought why not?
You may think that running 10 miles on a treadmill sounds awful, but I've been forced to do worse. I'll never forget an occasion several years ago when I was training for the Philadelphia Marathon and had an 18 miler on the schedule. The weather didn't cooperate and I had to run the entire 18 miles on a treadmill. Let's just say it wasn't the best time I've ever had running!
Fortunately, since that long run several years ago, I've developed some strategies to make running long distances on an indoor treadmill less painful. I used these tips on Friday to help complete my ten miles and I was able to put in the miles that I needed. Hopefully, others will find these tips helpful, too!
Ten Tips for Long Distance Treadmill Running
#1 - Take it Easy
Sometimes it's easier for me to run faster than planned on a treadmill because I'm not dealing with wind resistance. But unless I have specific speed work in my plan for my long run, I always stick with LSD - long, slow, distances. I've found that running long distances at a slower pace makes the experience more enjoyable - especially the second half of the run.#2 - Bring Fuel
When I'm running my long runs indoors in one place, it's easy to forget that I'm still putting in the same miles that I run outside. So I make a conscious effort to treat my indoor run like an outdoor run and bring the same type of fuel. For me, I eat an energy gel every 40 minutes or so outside - so I do the same thing when running indoors.#3 - Bring Water
Similar to the tip above, I always plan to consume the same amount of water no matter whether I'm running indoors or outdoors. The one advantage that treadmill running has over outdoor running is the availability of water fountains. So I don't have to carry all my water with me - I can just refill one water bottle as needed.#4 - Break it Up
I would probably go crazy if I hopped on a treadmill and ran a straight eight, nine, or ten miles. I've found that strategically breaking up my long run into chunks helps me get through the boredom. For example, this past week I broke my ten miles into four 2.5 mile chunks and hopped off the treadmill for a minute in between chunks. Breaking up my run into "mini" runs helps me feel like I'm making forward progress - even if I'm technically running nowhere.#5 - Change it Up
In addition to breaking up my run, depending on how crowded the gym is, sometimes I'll also hop on to a different treadmill for another running chunks. It's nice to be able to stare at someone else's head every now and then. ;)#6 - Distract Yourself
No matter how many breaks I take or treadmills I move to, running in place can be very tedious. To help with the monotony, I usually plan for additional entertainment to help distract me. Whether it's a good TV show (I've been enjoying "The First 48" recently) or a good book on tape, having another point of focus helps me to forget that my feet or legs are hurting or that I've been running in place for miles on end.#7 - Cool Down
After I'm done running the treadmill, it's tempting to just hop off and get out of the gym as fast as possible. However, I've found that by spending the time to cool down after a run really helps with my recovery. I always try to do a cool down on the treadmill for at least five, if not ten, minutes. A bonus to the extra recovery time is an extra few minutes of my distracting entertainment!#8 - Walk It Out
I mentioned earlier that I like to break my run up into different chunks. Usually I take the running break as an opportunity to hop off the treadmill and walk around on solid ground. I find that this helps alleviate the feeling of travelling without moving that I sometimes experience after being on a treadmill for long periods of time. Walking after the run also helps to shake out my legs after the entire run is done.#9 - Stretch It Out
In addition to walking in between running chunks, I also like to take advantage of the breaks to stretch my calves and hamstrings. This mid-run stretching, along with an extra long stretching session after my long run, helps to reduce muscle soreness and tightness the day after my long run.#10 - Reward Yourself
Running long distances on the treadmill can be mentally and physically challenging. So before I set up to tackle my treadmill runs, I plan a reward for myself for finishing the run. Usually the rewards are small, like an Americano from Starbucks or a glass of wine after dinner, but I've found that even something small helps to keep me motivated and gives me something to work towards when I'm in the midst of a long, boring run.. . . . . . . . . .
So there you have it - ten tips that I always try to follow when I run long distances inside. Hopefully this post provided some additional insight for those who might also be struggling with running indoors during this cold and dark running season!
No comments:
Post a Comment