The Treadmill Tell-All Survey!

All the ridiculously cold weather we’ve been hit with has driven me inside on a number of occasions this winter, to bang out some reluctant miles on the treadmill. For shorter workouts I don’t hate it, but really, anything over half an hour means that a second feels like a minute to me.

So when I saw Marcia’s Treadmill Tell-All survey, I thought it would be fun to post my own answers! I mean, if the mill is going to be an oft-mentioned training partner for the next month or so (side note: PLEASE let winter only last another month!), I may as well introduce you properly. 😉

Here’s a group shot of my treadmill with all his cronies:

They tend to travel in packs. Just saying. Be careful if you encounter one, there may be eight or nine lined up behind it. Now you’re warned, I’ll get to Marcia’s survey:

What’s your favorite workout to do on a treadmill? 

Quarter mile repeats. It’s perfect for a treadmill. Each segment of a quarter mile is short enough that time doesn’t seem to slow down and go backwards and the recovery (usually about a 1:1 work to rest ratio) seems to fly by. I also don’t mind shorter workouts on the treadmill, like 30 minutes or even less. Anytime I write or share a treadmill workout, you’ll find you need to change the pace or incline at least every 5 minutes, which is the timing that works for me to make me stick it out.

How many miles, on average, do you do on the mill each week? 

If the temperature is over 20 degrees Fahrenheit, you’ll find me outside. It is very rare that I do a workout on a treadmill in non-subzero conditions – if I do it’s because my schedule with clients is packed and I have to squeeze it in quickly. So let’s say 0 miles at best, but about 15 miles per week the last couple of weeks!

What was the most mileage you’ve ever completed on the mill in one workout? When? Why?

I can’t remember the mileage, but I remember it was 90 minutes – I remember because that was (as I found out) the cut-off maximum time for the gym I was at. This was during a trip to my hometown in Australia and from memory I was training for a half marathon. The part of Australia I’m from is in the mountains, about 3,400 feet above sea level – while it’s not exactly Boulder, CO at 5,300 feet, trust me, you can feel the difference. I was treadmilling that training while I was there – I wasn’t going to add hills into the already difficult environment.

Do you mill at home? The gym? Both? 

At the gym. I live in a brownstone in Brooklyn, NYC. It’s not exactly treadmill friendly! 😉

What distractions/entertainment (if any) do you use to help pass the time? 

Music!! If it’s more than 30 minutes I have to have my iPod. If I belonged to a gym with TVs I think it would be less horrendous to be driven indoors to run.

Do you fuel any differently for a treadmill workout than an outside one? 

Honestly, I haven’t done a long enough run recently on a treadmill where I would consider fueling. I generally don’t think about fuel until my run is at least 75 minutes long and I haven’t had to face that on  treadmill in a long time. (For the record, though, Gummi Bears FTW!)

Do you mill at incline to compensate for not being outside?

Definitely, I always have the treadmill at 1%, which is pretty close to a flat elevation in an outdoor run.

Describe your perfect (if there is such an animal) treadmill conditions:

Air conditioning; a full water bottle, two towels (one to wipe my face and one to hide the display so I don’t start obsessing over the seconds ticking away) and preferably some kind of entertainment – TV or music.

 

Is the treadmill more important to you in the middle of summer, or winter?

TV? Music? Nothing at all?

Do you prefer a workout to follow, or do you mostly use the treadmill for long, steady-state running?