I really enjoy reading these. Lionel, if you're reading this, please keep it up.

How about running is running?

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-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

I believe it was Cody Beals interview on the Triathlete training podcast where he talked a good bit about his evolution on treadmill training. IIRC, he used to train much more on the treadmill but came to the realization that it over-inflated how fit he thought he was. In other words, not being able to maintain the same speeds outdoors even after doing workouts on the treadmill and adjusting the incline on the treadmill. Also interesting was the discussion about treadmill incline and how it should change based on pace in order to get an "equivalent" outdoor speed. It was very interesting.

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Race Reports, etc -- Bob's Bikes

90% of my running is on my treadmill, including long runs of 35+ miles. I personally thank the treadmill for keeping me injury free at high volumes of training over the years.

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2x Deca-Ironman World Cup (10 Ironmans in 10 days), 2x Quintuple Ironman World Cup (5 Ironmans in 5 days), Ultraman, Ultra Marathoner, and I once did an Ironman.

I find the treadmill is great for executing workouts like Lionel describes, where the work is dictated by a pace target. The numbers are right in front of your face and there is no need to lift your arm to look at your watch. It would be hard to find a place to do some of those workouts other than a track in the great outdoors. Removing that outside environment can lead to gains once you've adopted those new abilities to the outdoor environment. Until that translation is done (Indoor>Outdoor) it isn't a gain because we race outdoors.

I've let the weather dictate where I run. In the winter it's inside on the treddy and in the spring/summer/fall outdoors. This year I was considering doing 1 session a week indoors so I could make a hard weekly hill session but instead I decided to run loops around a hill to also get some practice descending. Also, I find that if you're killing yourself on a treadmill in the gym people tend to stare. I'm not too self conscious at all, but having 10 people wishing that you stumble and get ejected out the back of the treadmill so they can post it to facebook/youtube/instagram tends to throw off focus. When you're outside people can't really tell how hard you're going unless they have some insights into running or you blow past them.

I also have no idea how anybody does more than 60 minutes on a treadmill. I get too hot (poor ventilation) too bored and typically feel like I'm hogging the equipment as there is usually a lineup of others waiting to use the treadmills. Kudos to you that can!

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"Train so you have no regrets @ the finish line"

I actually love when there's are 'gawkers' in the gym! Makes me motivate more for sure (even though I never treadmill race, even when a young gun lines up next to me.) Maybe it's because I train solo, so any kind of 'company' is good for me! (Usually at my YMCA, the gawkers consistent of the 65+ retired crowd, which can get pretty funny when there's me on one and, flanked by 80 year olds on the other ends.)

Treadmills are the one piece of equipment my YMCA has that it has plenty of - at least when I run, there is never, ever a line. (I don't go at 5PM primetime, though.) The pool on the otherhand - that's always a total wreck of a circle swim in the 'fast' lane, with people going 2:20/100 pace and calling that fast. It's gotten so bad that I've pretty much shifting all my 'real' swim training to my Vasa and only go to the pool 1x/week to avoid that disaster as much as possible.

I have great weather year-round, so I generally do long 80+ min runs outdoors year-round, but occasionally I'll do a treadmill 90-120+min steady run at a 3-5% incline just to keep myself honest on the steady pacing. Helps immensely on those to have a 32" treadmill TV, bluetooth headphones, and a good movie that's exactly or slightly longer than your target time. It makes it ALMOST enjoyable, but not so bad that you're dreading it or trying to actively avoid doing it. They do help though - it's a good thing to throw in the mix I've found. I tend to do them after my long outdoor runs are becoming routine, and I'm falling into stale effort or pace patterns.

It is hot in the summer in Tucson. And I did all of my long runs this summer on the treadmill.

This was a mistake. When I went back to the roads- I found that my heart and lungs were capable of 20 miles on the road. But the rest of me was not.

http://www.hillrunner.com/training/tmillchart.php

useful resource.

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David T-D
http://www.tilburydavis.com

20 milers in a single run? That's a lot to ask from going from a lower-impact treadmill, even if you put the incline up.

I wouldn't bother, you're obviously genetically limited ;)

Seriously though, not to derail this thread or dig up our previous discussion, but if you're cranking out 40 minute tempo runs at a 6:04 pace - whether on the road or TM - you really shouldn't have any trouble BQ'ing. I'm trying in a couple weeks so maybe I'll see you there in 2018. Keep us posted and good luck.

Put it on incline...there is a table somewhere that tells you at what speed the incline should be to replicate outdoor pace. The faster you run, the steeper the incline I think it is.

Yep, here's a table:

http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_running/run_treadmill_chart.asp



Edit: too quick to reply, just seen that 'tilburs' posted a similar table before me.

There's the 'should ' and the reality of 26.2 where lots of stuff goes wrong in training and race day.

I was actually in def bq+ pace years ago but chose the wrong races as I assumed I could do it on tougher courses. Reality set me straight!


This time I'm legally cheating for real. Mt Charleston Nevada marathon. 5000 ft gentle drop over 26.2 and 40 percent of the field qualified last year. The avg time there is 90 mins faster than the new York marathon. Totally bogus but I'll take it.