Tempo runs on the treadmill

I only use one when I'm hurt or want to get hurt. You can get all the injuries in the running handbook if you're not careful.

i usually do all of my tempo runs on a pretty flat 5 mile loop, but i'll probably end up doing a few on the treadmill this winter.

i do all of my tempo runs with a heart rate monitor, so i just run at whatever pace causes a comparable heart rate, which is generally slower on the treadmill on 1% incline (5:30-5:40) than it is on the roads (5:20s).

a few beats per second higher on the treadmill would probably be a good bet, because trying to cool your body on the treadmill requires more blood flow, so a tempo effort at 175-177 is better replicated on a treadmill by hovering around 180-182 for me.

do whatever feels right. tempo "pace" is really an effort level, not a pace, so dont get too too wrapped up in what the treadmill number says. you train to run well outside, not on a hamster wheel.

Here ya go. I can't vouch for the accuracy of the chart, but if it's posted on the Internet, you can be pretty assured that it's legit ;-)

olderrunner wrote:

I only use one when I'm hurt or want to get hurt. You can get all the injuries in the running handbook if you're not careful.

Please elaborate. I do most of my running other than long runs on treadmill. I wouldn't have figured it to be a receipe for injury. Don't a lot of elites use treadmills--some of them extensively?

Well, I had enough injuries running on snow and ice that I'm using them fairly regularly this winter for my tempos and long reps. I haven't skidded once.

I might even get really wimpy and use them to avoid pissing rain and howling gales too.

The StarTracks at our gym are set at Max speed 10 mph/6 min mile pace so as I get in shape I have no other choice except to raise the incline. Right now I'm at 28 min with 1.5 incline. I will also do intervals with incline at 3 to 4 but this becomes more of a long hill session.

I found out how to override the max allowed to go 12 mph but they are so poorly serviced that they will not go much faster.

The thing i notice the most about treadmills is that they need constant adjustments to work well. The main problem is loose belts which slip a little with each footplant causing you to lose your balance.

The best one is when you blow the circuit and the thing stops dead and you keep going.

Bin Der Dun Dat wrote:

http://www.hillrunner.com/training/tmillchart.php

Here ya go. I can't vouch for the accuracy of the chart, but if it's posted on the Internet, you can be pretty assured that it's legit ;-)

The first problem with that chart is that it assumes equal running to roads at .5%. It then knocks off huge amounts of time on the initial % changes but keeps reducing it as the level goes up. It also doesn't take into account the cumulative effect of the build up of heat on a longer run that will send your heartrate skyrocketing and make the level much more difficult. That is why the treadmill may feel easier the first half hour, but harder the next half hour. Another factor it misses is the weight of the runner. A heavier runner will have a harder time overcoming gravity than a skinnier runner. I am pretty light and have always run the uphills better than most.

For me, I believe the difference is to add 20+ seconds per mile per 1% incline.

I have been working out about a month at 12% incline between 11 and 12 minutes per mile. (helps my back) I did my first run outdoors in 3 months (had a broken toe) and ran a hilly 5 miles at 7:05 pace.

Today I ran 11:45 pace the last 7.5 minutes of an hour run at 15% incline and it was much harder than the 6:30 pace I ran the last 9 minutes of the outside run. It would have been closer to 6:10 to 6:15 pace so that would be 5:30 difference for 15% or 22 seconds per 1% incline.

My experience with the treadmill is that a lot of running at level incline puts more stress on the quads, (like downhill running) and I had knee pain all last winter until I got back on the roads consistently.

Another way to look at it is cross training. Instead of trying to compare to outdoor running, just compare each tempo on the treadmill to the next tempo on the treadmill and it will be a much easier comparison.

Indoor Fella wrote:

My question is, if I am suppose to do a tempo run at 6:28pace ( 9.3 mph @ 1% incline) will I get the same benefit if I do it at 9.0 mph @ 2% incline ( 6:28 pace). I'm just trying to add another element of stress to my training. I read recently where Rupp and Webb did a tempo run @ 12 mph @ 3% which works out to 4:48 pace. So I figured I could go a bit slower on some days but jack up the incline. What have all of you done on the T-mill. Thanks,

Forget about specific paces. You know how a tempo run should feel. Try to find the same feeling on the treadmill.

towhee wrote:

Please elaborate. I do most of my running other than long runs on treadmill. I wouldn't have figured it to be a receipe for injury. Don't a lot of elites use treadmills--some of them extensively?

I'm a sample size of 1, but.... I broke my metatarsal on the treadmill this fall.

I had a lingering coordination/weakness issue in my right leg that threw my gait off a bit, though I had been OK'd to train through it. Hopped on the treadmill for a marathon pace run, and my left foot went pop (no preceding pain). Ended up being a traumatic fracture of the second metatarsal on the left foot, and a buncha time off.

Best guess is that the combination of the slight gait change and the repetitive impact of the treadmill is what did it (I have never had any sort of foot or leg fracture before). Again, sample size of 1, but my coach doesn't want me doing treadmill workouts any more. If it's too bad to run outside, I'm to do pool running instead.