Check out this great article we are passing along from Randy Step: Treadmill Running Will Make You Faster!
As usual, I was facing the never ending shortage of too few hours in a day and not enough days in a week. After adding to the challenge temperatures approaching the single digits, I opted to skip this week's Wednesday evening group run outdoors. Instead of jumping in my car and using up more of that precious commodity we call gasoline, I walked downstairs, turned on the television and cranked out 8 miles with 2 x 2 at lactate threshold pace while watching the 5:00 and 5:30 editions of the news.
It can be a challenge to get in those Lactate Threshold runs during the winter months. Short days, slick conditions, track surfaces covered in snow, cold temperatures and brutal winds can sabotage your efforts to maintain a steady, even pace. The treadmill can be your best friend when it comes to running lactate threshold and tempo runs during the winter. Whether you have your own personal home treadmill, or head to the health club, it is often the best answer. It is safe and easy to regulate your pace and distance.
Exercise physiologists recommend elevating the treadmill 1% in order to maintain the same effort as running outdoors. The treadmill provides a little extra help by pulling your foot under your body, and you don’t have the air resistance encountered by moving through space. This same phenomenon, however, also makes you work a bit harder on the treadmill. Running in place rather than through space creates a pocket of warm air around your body causing your heart rate to elevate. You will notice you sweat a lot more on a treadmill, and it isn’t just because you are indoors, it is because you are running in an envelop of warm air.
So hop on the treadmill...you might be surprised at the results!
