4 ways to have more fun on a treadmill
Treadmill running can be pretty boring. It’s not nicknamed a dreadmill for no reason after all. To be fair to the machines, they do serve a very handy purpose, and you can make running on there more fun.
Distractions
Music, TV, audiobooks or running next to a friend on a gym treadmill can all make for more interesting time running on the belt.
If you’ve done your fair share of treadmill running, you’ve likely tried at least a couple of these tactics, and they can work. At times, the logistics can be problematic, with cables, the noise of the treadmill motor or the same view still sapping your motivation.
Use the preset programmes
Most treadmills come with a decent choice of preset programmes included, often covering hills, a fartlek setting, variable length intervals, heart rate zone work and a manual option.
The fartlek and hills programmes offer a lot of variety as well as a good challenge to your fitness. The frequent changes to speed, elevation, or both, offers a mental stimulation that keeps you engaged long after you’d have wanted to give up if you were doing steady state miles.
Manual programming
Personally, I like the manual setting most of all. It gives you complete control over how fast, how long and how hilly you make the run.
Without the machine adjusting these variables, you have to be aware of the time and then make the changes using the buttons on the display.
I often have some sort of pace progression, meaning the hardest and most beneficial part of the run is at the end. This stops me quitting early which I hope you’ll agree, is tempting at times on treadmills. I assume you do otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this.
Technique checking
I may be stretching the definition of the word “fun” here, but it’s actually pretty interesting to see yourself running.
Grab your phone and point it at the treadmill on video mode. Start recording, then hop on the treadmill at the pace you want to run your next or target race at. Run at this speed for 30 seconds, jump off and stop the recording. Watch it back, in slow motion if possible, and pick out one or two technical elements to assess.
Once you’ve decided on a part of your technique to improve, perform some drills for 3-5 minutes, then repeat the process. The second video should show a little improvement in the area you worked on. If it doesn’t work on a different drill for the same issue. Once you’ve seen a good improvement, do some 1km to 1-mile efforts, focusing on technique, taking a couple of minutes break in between. As I said, it may be fun for some people, but it’s definitely useful and breaks up the tedium.
One final tip is to watch the lights. Many models will have a light or graphic display, with each column or light representing a time depending on the total run time you programme in. Watching these tick away is similar to counting down lampposts or tress in the way many of us did when ee first started running.
Next time you’re on a treadmill, try the programmes out, make up your own or work on your technique. You’ll find a more challenging and enjoyable session is your reward.
Written by Kyle Brooks, Running Coach based in Norwich, Norfolk
