Today’s Tuesdays on the Run topic is Treadmill Tips. Treadmills are something near and sometimes dear to my heart. Living in the heart of Chiberia, with our polar temps and wallops of snow, sometimes milling is a necessity.
I hear lots of people say “I could never run (insert number of miles) on a treadmill”. Folks, let me tell you: nobody thinks they can until they HAVE to. When you have a race SO important that missing a specific, BIG run is just not acceptable.
For me that race was my first Boston Marathon. It was my final 22 miler (I ran four 20’s, plus a 22, dang) before the taper. We had 8″ of fresh snow but then, Mom Nature cursed us with freezing rain on top of it all. We were glazed over better than a Krispy Kreme. But I NEEDED the confidence of having that 22 miler under my belt.
So I did what any crazy, er I mean dedicated runner would do, I got in the car and slid over to my local YMCA and mounted a treadmill. Now you may know I have a trusty mill at home. Why didn’t I just go down to the pain cave and start grinding? I’ll get to that in a bit. Here are my tips for running long on a mill:
1. Don’t use your own mill. It’s all about OPM. That’s other people’s mills. Who wants mega miles on their personal mill? Not I. Plus what if you break it?
2. Bring entertainment. Lots of it. Books, magazines, TV, music, podcasts, comedians, a dance troop all of it. Trust me you’ll want it.
3. Don’t skimp on fuel. Chews, GUs, brews, beans, blocks, amuse bouches, whatever brings you pleasure and energy. When I do mega mill miles I haul in a mammoth bag of tricks and keep it right next to me.
4. Break it down into pieces. Think of each hour (or half) on it’s own. When the hour is over, erase it from your mind and pretend you’re starting fresh.
5. Change treadmills. It breaks up the boredom.
6. Remember your Body Glide. Chafing does not discriminate.
7. Familiarize yourself with the racecourse you’ll be running and simulate that on the mill. For Boston I used a mill that had decline so I made the first half of my run net downhill, then backloaded the rest with hills. Hello heartbreak.
8. People watch. Believe me crazy is all around you. It helps pass the time.
9. Plan your paces and stick to them. If you love pressing buttons and changing speeds incessantly like I do, have at it, but remember it’s a long run, not a race.
10. Fill your head with positivity. You are awesome. You are strong. You can do this. You ARE doing it. Quitting is not an option.
At the end of the day it’s a test of will. You’ll have bragging rights forever. I’ll always have that 22-miler to whip out at cocktail parties (as if). After 22, anything less is cake.
What’s your longest treadmill run? How did you pass the time?
I have done one half marathon and I did the entire training on a treadmill.
GREAT TIPS.
I’ve never watched more movies on my iPad 🙂
Those are all great tips! I just wanted to bust out five on a treadmill not too long ago but didn’t really end up doing it. After 2.5 I did some cross training then got back on for another mile, more cross training, another mile. It is hard. Not to mention it was at a hotel gym so I was staring at a wall! I will keep these notes in my back pocket for next time! 🙂
Fantastic tips! I have been running all of my long runs on the treadmill this winter and was one of those people who couldn’t stand it before. My treadmill also has a decline so on my next long run I will be simulating the course to make sure I am fully prepared!
I’ve had my Landice treadmill for over 15 years and never had a problem with it….probably because I’ve never run close to 22 miles in one sesh! A dreadmill with a decline sounds like a great idea for Boston. And like you said, sometimes you just gotta do it!
I definitely think that people watching helps! I need to be distracted while running on the treadmill. Usually once I get going I feel ok, but the first 10-15 minutes are the worst.
My longest mill run was a 6.5 miler on Sunday. My issue with treadmills is that I love the TV; however, if I watch for too long I get kind of vertigo/dizzy. I would love to people watch, but my gym has the treadmills facing a wall – no mirror, no window, so there is no choice but to watch TV or your own reflection in the TV (eeek).
Today I’ve decided that I’ve had enough of the mill. It is only supposed to be 7 degrees with a mighty windchill, but I brought my running clothes to work so I can run in town and use the one block north, one block west, one block north, one block west….etc. method so I won’t have to run directly into the wind for more than a block at a time. This also makes for an interesting pattern on the Garmin. 🙂
I love your tips – I never would have thought to bring a bag of tricks but now that you mention it, why wouldn’t you!? 22 miles! Amazing 🙂
I HAD to have a TV screen so that I could watch mindless entertaining movies when I ran distances on the treadmill at home…and I also had a fan blowing a soft breeze on me too. One of the things I hate most about treadmill running is the SWEAT from lack of air flow that you get outside naturally.
Well, I think you already know that I actually love running on my treadmill. Between movies and a DVR full of reality TV I can always entertain myself – plus I always play with the speed even if it is just a few small changes, I change the speed often!!
I do use the “break it down tip” a lot!!!
My longest treadmill run so far is 45 miles:))
Can’t remember the total time, but my max was 2 1/2 or 3 hours – I used to love running on the TM, because I could get up early, put the headphones on, and watch all the movies my kids were too young for. No weather problems, bathroom close by, no worries bout getting home – perfect.
Great tips!!! I think my longest run on the mill was 6 miles and that was tough. Having a tv and music helped me then. But 22 miles on the mill, you are amazing!
Great tips. I use my treadmill all the time at my house since I am not a member of any gym. It only goes to 99 minutes then shuts off. I usually never have gone more than that distance at once so it’s ok for me but if I ever do I would just reset it.
Wow! That is a long way on a treadmill. But, honestly that’s a lot of miles anywhere. I have yet to run that far so I can’t imagine. I did, however, take my longest treadmill run earlier this month. I was on a cruise ship and had an awesome view and am very proud to have completed 10 treadmill miles!! it was more fun than I thought it’d be!
I started laughing when you wrote about using other people’s mill 😀
I ran about 13 or 14 miles once. But I run a lot of my weekday runs on the treadmill
So…my longest treadmill run ever? 8 miles. I died. I truly think I would just skip it if I had to face down 22–you are a beast!
6 miles is my longest treadmill run, and it was painful. I have 6 on deck for this weekend, and it looks like I will be stuck inside yet again. All joking aside I simply just can’t enjoy running on the treadmill, but do it simply because I have to! 22 miles, WOW!
Goodness, you are a brave soul! I call it quits after 2 miles. Nothing beats running outside.
My longest was 10 miles. I definitely think you have to have some entertainment. Watching tv shows or a movie helps – it’s what has gotten me through countless hours stuck on the bike trainer lately. And I feel like I have more issues with chaffing inside so definitely a yes to the bodyglide!
So me this weekend–16 miles. I broke up the last 8 miles because my brain was laughing at me like the idiot that I was. But then again, I really would have been an idiot for going outside into the winds!
I read, have my music, and went to town on some sour patch kids. I don’t usually fuel for those types of runs, but it was necessary.
The tip to use someone else’s mill is a good one! Ours always seems so hard while I fly on others! I think the farthest I have gone is 8. 22! Woot woot! You rock! 🙂
LOVE these tips. Will be training for my first full this summer and worried about those times I may have to haul it indoors. I don’t mind the treadmill for 10-11 miles but worried about doing those realllllly long runs. Good to know that it can be done. 🙂
I love these tips! My longest? 10 miles and all I can say is thank God for Matt Damon in the Bourne Identity 🙂
Awesome job, Marcia, and I totally agree that runners should get comfy on the TM. I spend way more time than I would like running on mine because it is impossible for me to get all my mileage in if I have to drive to a venue or even run in my neighborhood (I live downtown so I spend a lot of time waiting on lights, traffic, etc. if I don’t drive to a park or trail.) Good post!
I think my longest treadmill run was 12 miles, but I’ve done quite a few 10 and 11 milers on there. Sometimes the weather just sucks. Plus I like being able to watch a movie and I have constant access to snacks, water and the bathroom 🙂
One word: television. I did 2 hours on Sat. No problem. Criminal Minds is engrossing.
I can’t believe you ran 4 x 20 + 22. I have done full marathons as training but never more than 20 miles for just training and not more than 3x usually. For PHX, I am rolling the dice. 1 20 + NYC and training from that!
My longest treadmill run is only 5 or 6 miles. I hate the mill and luckily it is never too horrid in SC.
Jesus. 22 mile on the mill? You need to get your badass card gold plated!
The closest I’ve come to a treadmill run is a couple of stationary bike rides. And the longest I’ve done was an hour. That’s nowhere near hardcore.
Great post! My farthest treadmill run is 11 miles and I agree – breaking it into pieces works well. When you’ve got to train for a race in the winter it’s definitely necessary!
I think the mental game is why being on a treadmill is so hard for me! Great tips for making it happen. I’ll probably have to tap into them this summer if I’m going to have consistent training! Thanks for linking up with us!
i can’t imagine running anything longer than 10 miles. i’ve made it up to 9 this training season- but it’s all been speed work, which goes by faster to me. i made it through with netflix…but the past 2 weeks i’ve been without it (no more work ipad with free internet) and i think i’m gonna have to add it to my personal ipad so that I can enjoy the mill again!