My good weather use of the treadmill: Frog Boil workout

Today’s run: 10K in 1:02; 6.14 miles in 1 hour; last 3.14 in 27:20. How I did it: treadmill, 0.5 incline. Start at 5.2 mph and raise the speed by 0.1 mph every 3 minutes. I got to mile 3 in 32:40, 4 in 41:13, 5 in 50:11 and 6 in 58:48.

Yes, it was a cool-ish, overcast day outside. But my legs were somewhat heavy and my knees..not really achy but they could use a break.

Why I sometimes use a treadmill in good weather:

1. Knees and feet; I like the soft surface.
2. Change in gait (helps with “overuse injury” prevention.
3. Zone out effect; sometimes I end up going too slowly outside. Here I have to quicken my gait a bit and focus (lest I fall off of the treadmill).

Now while I know that some have used the treadmill exclusively for good effect (e. g. the single member of the 2000 women’s US Olympic marathon team) it is different and I do need to get used to the surfaces I’ll be running or walking on. And yes, even with my variety of workouts (constant adjustment of speed or incline, or both), it gets kind of boring.

So, for me, it is a tool to be used from time to time, but not a staple (unless it is snowy/icy outside).

And I’d use it a bit less if the packed limestone trail wasn’t 30 minutes away; packed dirt/cinders/limestone trails are the best, IMHO.