Can training on a treadmill make you faster on the road?

in running •  7 years ago 

I’ve spent the last three or four weeks running on a treadmill in the gym because the weather here is so crappy. I don’t like running in the freezing rain and wind, so the only other real option is the treadmill.


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Things have been going quite well in the gym. I’ve been tweaking my running technique and experimenting to see how fast I can go. I’ve seen some surprising gains and yesterday I beat my 10k PR by 6 minutes. I was pretty happy with that!

That’s all very well and good you might say. But not a lot of races are run on treadmills. And it’s true – most races are run outside, in the real world. I was really interested to see if I could translate the gains on the treadmill to the street. Have I just been wasting my time, or has this been valuable training?

This morning the rain slept in, but I didn’t. I was up and out into the still morning air. Even the sun was still snoring, off to the east somewhere. I’m back home now and the sun still hasn’t managed to drag itself out of bed. I don’t blame it. It is winter after all.

I did what I usually do on the treadmill, the first kilometre is a warmup, but it’s a fast warmup. This simulates a race start where you don’t usually jog for the first 5kms or so to get warmed up – you just go out hard right from the start. I hit the pavement hard and bounded down the hill with 80s music blasting in my ears.

The first km zipped by – at the rate I used to sprint at. And then I hit the slightly downhill section and put the hammer down. I was running at under 5min/km – a super fast speed for me and not sustainable for more than a few hundred metres. That was until I started the treadmill work.

I kept up the sub 5min/km pace for most of the run, except for a couple of kilometres where I had to stop and retie my shoe before it fell off and I went careering into the sea, and on the hill where I usually walk up because by that time I’m usually knackered.

My previous PR for 10km was 56 minutes on my 10km circuit.

Today I ran the same circuit in 49 minutes. That’s a 7 minute gain! But more importantly at the end of that 10kms I wasn’t collapsing and gasping for breath. I was glad to be done, but I wasn’t completely spent. I think I could have carried on at that pace for a while longer.

I don’t think I can run much faster than that – the mechanics of my little legs just won’t allow it. But if I can keep that pace up that will certainly improve my time for the Wellington Marathon on the 1st of July.

So I guess that answers the question I posed above – the training you do on the treadmill can and does translate to the real world.

But I think the secret is in how you approach the running on the treadmill. If you ‘just run’ mindlessly I don’t think you will see a lot of benefit.

If you ‘train’, working on technique, pushing your speed, trying stuff out, making it hard, then it will translate to the road and you will see the benefits of it.

This is my last week of training before I really hit the taper and let my legs have a bit of a rest. I could really feel the fatigue in them when I started running this morning. So with a couple of weeks of lighter running, they should be nice and hungry come race day.

I’m really looking forward to this race, and the WUU2K a couple of weeks after it. It’s going to be a big test of all the training and learning that I’ve done this year. And this will set me up (hopefully) to face my biggest challenge yet – a 100km race.

I’m finding again and again that something is only impossible because you haven’t done it yet.
When someone tells you that what you want to do is impossible, change the word in your head to hard. What you want to do is hard. Hard is doable – it just requires dedicated work and effort and you can make it happen.

This is what I’m finding with my running. It was impossible for me to run under 5min/km for more than 100 metres. But today I did just that for 7 out of the 10 kilometres I covered. So it wasn’t impossible at all – it was just hard. And* hard* is something that is becoming easier the more I do it.

So tomorrow I think I’ll……. Take it easy hehe. My body deserves a bit of a rest now. But you can bet that soon I’ll be back out there doing what I do – pushing hard to get home in time for beer and ice-cream.


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I'm not in favor of using a treadmill for speed improving. It is so soft andd so the energy of your steps are absorbed by the belt itself.
You are an experimented trail ultra-runner and thus all your body is set for the long resistance trail running but, I am sure you can get a faster pace if you dedicate the training to do so...
You have developed an extraordinary aerobical condition, which means that your muscles are super-efficient managing the oxigen you breath at low heart frequency. Your race economy is excellent.
In order to run faster, you have to show your muscles how to work in a higher condition not only aerobically but also under anaerobical conditions, which means that your cells burns as well other kind of combustible than the sugars and fats...as a product of that reaction you get lactate acid which causes fatigue...the accumulation of which does not allow you to reach long distances...The training makes that your body treats those residual products much more efficient and so you can gain speed while running longer...
By the end of the running season I used to prepare always a couple of trail races and I can tell you that, as a result of the training on hills, my speed decrease a little but I feel much stronger in general. I feel that Trail running is much more complete than running on flat or almost flat runs. It is more complete.
YES, nothing is impossible and HARD is doable (I like this statement for @runningproject motivation quotes ;-) )

thanks for that :-)

I will get a bit faster, but my limitation I think will be that I have really short legs, and they can only go so fast ;-)

The treadmill stuff was really useful for 'feeling' how I run and changing things and seeing how that affects my running and perceived effort.

Now I am bringing what I've learned in the gym to the road and trail. This was the first test to see if what I learned in the gym would translate to the road. And I'm glad it did :-)

The big test will be the WUU2K. you can get away with running hard for 10kms on mostly flat road, but 63kms over some steep and rough terrain is a very different story. But I do think the work I've done in the gym will help that also.

I've also been running on the beach a bit, and that works wonders to build up your strength and endurance.

Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.
Dean Karnazes

*Resteemed by @runningproject

Interesting post! I'm gonna revisit this tomorrow when I'm less tired haha

Harden up and run in the rain!

That was interesting - back in 2000 I was a treadmill technician - and I always thought running on treadmills was a total waste of time - it was mainly fat people trying to lose weight...

you can waste you time on a treadmill, but you can also take what it is useful for and utilize those features - like holding your pace for an extended duration.

you shouldn't limit yourself. i shouldn't be the one pointing this out since i haven't ran a marathon. yet? this dude was 5'7" and ran it in 2:26 in 1935. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sohn_Kee-chung

i started running in my later years and ran my 2nd half last year. it's a great feeling to know how to run and am still learning.

Wow, that is a tremendous gain. 7 minutes! I have always referred to the treadmill as dreadmill because that's how much I despise it. Lol. It's my opinion it causes you to have an unnatural gait pattern since it doesn't have all the divots and unevenly terrain you'd encounter outdoors.

But, it can allow you to push yourself in ways you can't outside. I just relocated to Minnesota & I heard the winters here are BAD plus i'm an asthmatic who's usually triggered by cold air so i may be on the old dreadmill more frequently this winter. Ill have to remember your GAIN and be inspired =)

I think the secret to the treadmill is to have a focus, something to specifically train for a session, not just running to clock up the miles. That would bore me to tears.

I find that running on the treadmill is actually easier on my muscles and joints because it is a nice flat and forgiving surface. Running on the roads or trails here is always a risky thing to do (especially in the dark with no torch!) because they are so rough.

Most of the trails I train on is old and crumbly reef rock, so it is really hard on your ankles.

I am happy to be back running outside though ;-)

That's great progress. Just hang onto your shoes

Thanks ;-)

It was so frustrating to be 'in the groove' and then have to stop because my shoe came loose.

The other one came loose later on, but I was close to the end and didn't want to stop, so I kept going, thinking I'll trip and break my silly neck any moment now ;-)

Wow, that’s a fantastic PR!! I am forced to that mill regularly and think I could benefit from some more structured training. My head just keeps messing with me because it’s so boring compared to being outside. Bad attitude.

Thanks. Yes, the treadmill is a pretty boring experience. That's why I started changing things up a bit.

So instead of being bored, the next time you are on the treadmill, do a warmup for a kilometer / mile and then do a full k/m with a conscious knee lift. You don't have to drive hard, just focus on lifting your knees slightly, keeping forward pressure on your hips (so you don't bend over).

Feel how that is different from your normal running. Feel the muscles working. Then for the next segment, kick your heels up a bit higher and feel how that is different.

Then crank the speed of the treadmill up to a pace that is not sustainable (nothing crazy, just faster than you think you can hold for more than about 5km/ miles. And then run it lifting your knees and kicking your heels. Try to do a full km / mile. then next time increase the distance.

The treadmill lets you do that, play around with things and discover new ways of moving your body that are more efficient / powerful.

Practice it for a couple of weeks and then hit the road / trail and do it for real. You'll then see the treadmill as a useful tool, and not boring drudgery.

I hope that helps :-)

Love some 80s music. What band is the most motivating?

I have a bunch of different stuff on my player at the moment, like

Meatloaf
Pat Benatar
Starship
Dire Straits
The Police
Huey Lewis and The News
Song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Duran Duran
and lots more ;-)

Pat Benatar always gets me running hard, Meatloaf as well. They just need to turn up at the right time and I'm powering up hills :-)

For some reason I thought you would be listening to Thompson Twins. LOL!

For some reason I
Thought you would be listening
To Thompson Twins. LOL!

                 - gutzofter


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