Written by: Amanda Brooks
Amanda Brooks is a Certified Running Coach, founder of Run To The Finish, and author of “Run To The Finish: The Everyday Runner’s Guide.” With over 36,000 miles run and 500+ runners coached, she specializes in supporting middle-of-the-pack runners through evidence-based training advice and honest gear reviews.
Over 13 years of run coaching, I’ve heard a lot of “I hope it’s ok, but I need to do some training on the treadmill” from athletes concerned about being judged or told that the training is less valuable.
Which is crazy when I think about myself and all the athletes I know who have hit PR’s during cycles where they spent the majority of their miles on the treadmill.
Maybe you’re mostly inside, maybe you’re a mix of indoors and out, regardless we want to maximize every minute you put into training. So let’s talk about some key treadmill training tips.
#1 Form Adjustment
One of the first things to consider with treadmill training is how your form changes. Some runners will find drastic changes and others feel pretty comfortable from the get go.
Stop running so far forward. We have an odd fear of flying off the back, which makes us crowd the console shortening our stride and messing with arm swing. Try to focus on running in the middle of the belt (easier with the Wahoo KICKR RUN – RunFree mode which will speed up if you move forward!).
Remember to think about your cadence. The belt isn’t doing the work for you, but when you pick up the pace you could notice yourself overstriding more than you would outside due to the belt movement if you aren’t also increasing your cadence.
#2 Improve the Set Up
Have you ever felt like running on the treadmill is harder than running outside? This usually comes down to a couple of things: perception, location, and the machine.
Some machines aren’t well calibrated or the deck is so bouncy that you lose energy with every step. The Wahoo KICKR RUN deck is similar to running on a dirt road which gives you the cushion your joints enjoy without sucking out all the energy from each step.
It seems like you’d want the bouncier deck, but that’s not the case as it’s going to absorb the energy you are putting in and it’s definitely going to mess with your stride.
Next up is heat. Outside there’s a breeze or at least some moving air, while many folks have their treadmill in a stuffy basement or garage. Get a fan! That’s right, sometimes it’s a simple solution you’ve just overlooked.
The Wahoo KICKR HEADWIND is amazing for automatically adjusting with your speed, but truly any fan is going to improve the experience and if you aren’t so hot then you’ll feel a lot better. Being hot means your HR is going to be higher, which automatically increases your perceived effort and of course a lack of air flow feeling stuffy can make breathing feel more uncomfortable as well.
#3 Fix Your Perception
As noted above, perception is another reason the treadmill can feel harder. If you’re calling it the dreadmill, but expect to hop on and have a great run, well you’re a confusing optimist.
The treadmill is an incredible tool. You’re lucky to have access, so start thinking about it that way. This switch alone can ensure that your treadmill miles become far more valuable and enjoyable.
#4 Tackle Better (or more) Hills
Training in Miami for many years, I realized that without hills I was becoming a weaker runner. Sure I could do the distance, but hills provide a huge boost in speed and leg power, which comes in handy on race day.
You do NOT need to spend every run at 1% incline. That could actually overwork your hip flexors which aren’t used to being at a set upward incline outside.
Instead, vary the incline throughout your run on easy days from -1% to 3%, this is also going to allow you to switch up which muscles are being used which will better mimic outside runs. Bonus points because the KICKR run will also go into terrain mode and include slight side tilts like you’d get on the road.
Next you want to include hill repeats at closer to 5-8% incline. Studies have shown that hill repeats absolutely make you faster, so stop avoiding them! The treadmill makes it incredibly easy to not hunt down a hill, but create one for your exact needs. Throw in repeats at the end of an easy run or do an entire speed workout around hills, it’s all beneficial.
When you’re training for a specific race, it’s ideal to get a feel for the course. Load up the course map in your Wahoo app and let the machine automatically adjust the incline for you!! Boston runners can practice that initial long downhill which gets over run and then jump to the Heartbreak Hill section.
This really allows you to ensure that your training is geared exactly towards your goals. Which could also apply to training for a downhill race! It’s extremely hard to find long downhills, so set that machine to -3% and you’ll realize how much work your quads are doing. Just 1 run a month like this will improve your leg strength.
#5 Practice Long Goal Pace Workouts
This is one of the reasons I PR’ed many races over the years with treadmill training. There’s always a need to practice goal pacing, but I love that on the treadmill you can set the pace and then hold it for a long time.
While you absolutely want to practice this outside as well, there is something to the muscle memory of dialing in to an exact pace and never wavering. Outside I’ll see runner data swing wildly over the course of a mile, so while they might hit the split they haven’t really learned what the goal pace should feel like.
This can be useful early in training with shorter intervals when you’re testing out your goal pace and extremely useful later in training when you need to hold many miles at goal pace.
#6 Embrace Better Recovery Runs
In parallel to the above is forcing runners to chill out on their recovery days. With no one watching you on the treadmill or not comparing your pace to your outside run, I’ve seen so many actually slow down.
Recovery runs should be super easy, but if you’ve got a stand routine outside I see many fall right back into their easy pace and often faster.
Lean in to some run/walk, or just set the pace well below your normal easy run and embrace what recovery runs are all about.
There’s no magic number of miles that must be run outside. Why not enjoy the access to a bathroom, water, all of the trashy TV you’re too embarrassed to just sit and watch, but feel justified while on the treadmill.
