Long Distance Treadmill Workout Tips

Long distance treadmill workout tips

Long distance treadmill workout tips

Is checking the half-marathon or marathon among your goals for this year? Here’s a reminder for you to keep pressing on. Long distance running needs heightened commitment to training.

You may be stuck on collecting the KGs indoor on your treadmill depending on the season and your location. Anybody with experience is aware that undertaking long distances on the treadmill may be boring. However, it remains the ideal option in case you cannot run from outside.

You should have no worries on frostbite or maybe slipping on the black ice. The treadmill is highly safe.

1. Know Your Treadmill

Supposing, you use a treadmill when at the gym? Approach your trainer and ask him to walk you through the functions of the treadmill before hopping on.

Most treadmills for 350 lbs have these features:

  • Calorie burn calculator. This indicates the results of your run. However, these readouts are not very accurate simply because they do not factor in your weight, age, sex and the likes. If you regularly carry on the same workout and the level of calories burned increases, this is an indication that you are becoming more fit.
  • Speed display. This indicates the speed you are using i.e. how fast. Normally, it’s calculated in number of miles per every hour. If your preference is the measurement to be in number of minutes per mile, look at this chart.

If you’d like to learn more about treadmill features, you can check out our post on the best treadmill for running under 500 here.

2. Cover your ‘stop’ button

Treadmill may be fast boring. Running from outside is associated to space, fresh air and scenery changes. The treadmill may come with crowds and a television.

Additionally, the dreaded stop button increases the desires of hopping off when people gives you a side eye or maybe you start getting bored. This depends on the amount of time you have used on the machine.

You should however follow these recommendations;

  • Go on your treadmill at times when you are less busy.
  • Use a towel for covering up pause temptations when you get a little bored or tired.

3. Show up with a good plan

Running from outside over few hours on Saturdays is enough preparation for the long distance training at its early stages. As you hold these miles indoor experts suggest that having a game plan is smarter. This plan should begin from the time you check in to the gym.

When your workout plan is outlined, it’s very hard to quit before you start.

4. Try four minutes on and a minute off

For you to prepare for a full or half marathon, you will require to have a number of steady pace training days.

Experts proposes that educating your body for self-pace is very important. Experts says that most new runners achieves a rhythm when they feel that they can go forever. Finally on the race day, they walk for a mile.

A way of avoiding such disappointment is by use of tempo method. This method features the strategy of four minutes on and a minute off. During the four minutes, you are free to run fastest possible. Then for the single minute, you comfortably jog or walk.

This enlightens you on how to take breaks even at times when you think that you may not need them. It is a reminder that resting is essential during your training. You do this when you are able to but at least for 30 minutes for effectiveness.

5. Do not Make It Very Steep

Don’t allow the setting of your incline be too steep i.e. above 7%. This adds a lot of strain on your ankles, hips and back. Some learners will assume that completing their entire run on an incline which is steep is a great workout. A steep incline has anything beyond 2%. Straight hill running is not a good idea in any way since it may lead to injuries.

You should have in mind that you may never get a 3- mile hill whose incline is 5% or 6%.

6. Mix up flat running with some steep inclines

Ensure that you avoid running for over five minutes on a steep incline. You are likely to get safer and better workout when you alternate between running several minutes without an incline and some other several minutes with an incline. Uphill segments assist to build strength. On the other hand, the flatter ones helps to build endurance and stamina.

7. Don’t Hold on the Console or the Handrail

Some people think that they should hold onto the handrails as they run or walk on the treadmill. The role of the handrails is to help you get off and on the treadmill safely.

Holding the rails has various negative impacts. First, it makes you hunch over forcefully. This is an inefficient form of running which may lead to pain on your back, shoulder and neck. Keep your posture erect and straight. Your back should be straight, your shoulders should be level and the head up.

Proper upper body form practice involves keeping your arms at an angle of 90 degrees, same to what you would do when running from outside.

Holding on the rails comes along with the feeling of working harder and keeping up the pace. In reality, your load reduces easing on yourself. Assume that those rails are not in existence and as though you are running from outside.

If you have worries on falling, it’s because you probably are running at a very fast pace or an incline that is too steep. Slow down or reduce your incline, or both. Form and safety are very important.

8. Increase and decrease of your incline and speed

Your lungs adapt to conditions naturally when you run from outside. This includes the incline and the quality of air. It’s your role to create that resistance when indoors. This is the reason why expert marathoners suggest on varying your grade and pace during long runs.

This enables you to work on your endurance, the VO2 levels and oxygen intake and available for use while running. This also increases the ability of the runner to maintain the run throughout without stopping need.