November (2010) my wife and I decided to get a treadmill. We both have opposite work schedules and we needed to be able to run constantly in the winter time, especially since we can’t take our daughter Natalie in our jog stroller on cold, snowy Indiana winter days. We looked everywhere and decided to get SOLE F80 treadmill. It had features we liked: a long deck, 12MPH setting, good warranty, and a strong motor. It’s been over a year now and I thought I would share some tips for your next “dreadmill” run.
CRANK IT - Get a stereo or another music playing device and play music that you like to jam to. A lot of times I don’t run with music I just listen to the DVD that Natalie watches while I run. However, when I have done long runs of 16-21 miles I have been known to “crank it” up.
FAN IT- Get a box fan or oscillating fan and have it pointing towards you while you run. You will sweat, and you will sweat again. A fan helps keep your core cool, although you will still have lots of sweat. Treadmill built-in fans are useless.
WARM IT- Do a nice warm-up on the treadmill before your workout. You need your body to get adjusted to running on the belt, and your legs need to be loose before your run. Go nice and slow on the warm-up and increase your speed gradually until your legs feel ready.
DRINK IT- Make sure you have 1-2 bottles with water or Gatorade when running on the treadmill. Find what works best for you. I normally take drinks after 10 minutes of running and I alternate which bottle I drink from. Remember you are running inside and you will sweat.
WIPE IT- Have a small towel handy, to wipe off your sweat. You will be amazed how much sweat you will have. You can easily put the towel in one of the holders on the treadmill.
CHANGE IT- Instead of running the same pace throughout your workout, change the treadmill speed or incline after a segment, or a certain time frame. It will help you mentally get through your run.
COOL IT- You will want to do a nice and easy cool down on the treadmill just like any other run a cool-down is important. Most of the time I will do a little walking on the treadmill after my cool down running, just to make sure my legs are completely loose.
