This weekend’s plans to head to Nevada for a weekend of wedding activities was derailed due to an onslaught of dangerous snow over the pass. Instead, the weekend was full of errands we desperately needed to tackle while dodging in and out of the consistent rain.
I was planning on joining a group for 19 miles outside on Sunday, but one wet step outside left me with a predicament: Stop being a baby and run in the rain? Or forgo the risk of getting sick and deal with a long run on the dreadmill. I have been sick more times than I would care for this year and I wasn’t about to increase my chances: dreamill it was then.
If you are going to do a long run on a treadmill, here are my key tips to ensure that it’s quasi-bearable:
- Pack Accordingly – Prepare your fuel just as you would for a long run outdoors. This includes a water bottle and food (P.S. I LOVE Clif Blocks, but the margarita flavor? Not my fav). Only difference is you don’t have to schlep it on your waist –WIN!
- Bring A Towel – An added bonus of a treadmill long run? You can have a towel handy to dry the inappropriately large amounts of sweat you will produce from running indoors.
- Movies – Sure you can watch TV shows, but watching a movie keeps you focused for larger amounts of time. Try and watch one that you haven’t seen yet as you’re more likely to stay focused on the film and forget about the indoor torture you are enduring.
- Netflix It Up – So, here’s where it gets tricky. My gym is AMAZING in that it lets you connect your iPhone to the personal TV on the treadmill so you can watch whatever movies you have on your iPhone/iPod. If you have this, I’d strongly suggest getting a subscription to Netflix and downloading their free iPhone app. With the iPhone app, you can watch any of the movies in their instant streaming collection! Plug it up to the personal treadmill TV and PRESTO! You have all of Netflix’s instant streaming library at your sweaty fingertips.
- Refuel Properly – Eat a high carbohydrate meal with a good source of protein within 30 minutes of your workout. I definitely heeded the “high carbohydrate” portion of that advice, but quality carbs and a source of protein…err…not so much. But it was damn good.
BOOM! Like a pro.
Have you ever done a long run on the treadmill? How did it turn out? What did you do to prevent death by boredom?
Happy Running and congrats to everyone who finished the LA Marathon!
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Day 79: Errands
Day 80: 19 miles
Ahhhh! I did my first long treadmill run this weekend, so how relevant!! 🙂 I’ve never done more than 10 miles on a treadmill before, and I haven’t run 16 miles in almost a year, so I had two mental blocks going into this. I actually did all that you listed above, minus the Netflix thing. I basically was the first person to the gym and sprawled all my water bottles and fuel out on the windowsill beside the treadmill I claimed so I didn’t have to leave at all. I was fully willing to move to the next treadmill if someone told me I exceeded my limit, but there was NO ONE at the downtown gym on Saturday morning. Aaaaand, there was a Sex & the City marathon on TV so I got to enjoy that. 🙂 It actually went really well! I still don’t like treadmills, but my introduction to a long run on a treadmill didn’t have a completely sour taste. 🙂
I’m sorry to hear your weekend plans didn’t turn out. 🙁 🙁
A
I WISH my gym had a setup like that. I was stuck there early Saturday morning for 14 miles, and watched two episodes of Married With Children and one of The Steve Harvey Show. Painful.
This is a terrific article, love your tips on how to get through the bordeom, be prepared, and how to fuel/refuel when doing long runs on a treadmill. I don’t know what I’d do without Netflix! That is so cool your gym will allow you to hook up your mobile device to the TV on the treadmill…
Lately what seems to work for me is to to alternate between a fast and slow pace (half mile at 7:45 min pace, then half mile at 9:30/10:00 min pace). The 7:45 min pace intervals get me through the workout faster (literally), and the 9:30/10:00 min pace intervals just feel like a very nice recovery. I’m thinking of throwing another interval in there with a 3-4% incline… then back down again for another half mile at 1% incline. We’ll see how it goes… In general, I find that I look forward to the recovery interval, and actually enjoy the treadmill even more! (Sometimes I do a recovery interval during a commercial break!)
Adapted this tip from Megan Kretz’s articles here:
http://www.runnerskitchen.com/2010/05/lunch-hour-workouts/
http://trueslant.com/runningshorts/2009/10/30/tips-for-treadmill-running/
Like you said, treadmill running can be a life-saver when life commitments come up!
My tips for running in the treadmill involve varying speeds and/or inclines every quarter mile, which would replicate your effort on the roads a little more closely.
But honestly, even with that, i don’t see how I would be able to sustain anything over 8-10 miles. I thought that was a herculean effort in and of itself.
19 is quite impressive, my new bloggy friend 🙂
wow, i’m impressed! to be honest, i’ve never even run ONE MILE on a treadmill! i don’t belong to a gym so i don’t have access to them, so this weekend i was stuck doing my long run in this crazy california weather : / btw, that netflix setup sounds amazing!
Congrat’s! On what? Beating my dreadmill record of 18 miles! I basically did the same things you suggested but some of my time flew when my kids decided to come down into the basement to ‘entertain’ me! So I was multi-tasking (running and being a parent).
One MAJOR lesson I learned about my treadmill that one day I did 18. My treadmill STOPS after 100 minutes. No joke. I almost went flying off!
This past winter I felt like a wuss doing so many miles on the treadmill vs running on snow/ice covered snow at 5am, but I’d rather be a healthy wuss than one with a broken arm, ankle, etc..
Way to stick it out on the dreamill.
Oh, 1 more tip. To practice for some downhills, I would put a 2X4 piece of wood underneath the back of my treadmill and at least get a 2% downhill grade. Again, just to mix it up and work different muscles.
WOW 19 on the tread?! Lol I did my longest ever treadmill run yesterday too- 7 miles! 😛 I’ve always done my longer runs outside, but it surprisingly wasn’t too bad, thanks to Runner’s World! 😀
Great tips, as usual! I wish my gym had that ipod hook up!
I’ve done two 20 milers on the treadmill this year. I haven’t really minded it because I’m easy to entertain. I just bring my anatomy notebook and study about 75% of the time and rest I’m just people watching. 🙂 The time of the TM goes by quickly for me for some reason. Good job with the 19 miler!! Breakfast afterward is always a good idea! Yum!!
Oh! And I love the netflix idea! I wish our gym had those TVs on the TM, that is so cool!!!
I can’t run more than three minutes on a treadmill without wanting to die…congrats to anyone who can last longer than me!
I wish I would have read this earlier in the year. Great tips. Winter in Wisconsin is on its way out. I was lucky enough to have all my winter long runs outdoors.
OMG 19 on a treadmill!!!!! that would be CRAZY- but awesome!! its funny to think you could watch a whole movie plus MORE!
i’m crazy impressed. my longest ever on the treadmill was 13 and that was only because DC was a sheet of ice. if i can avoid it, i will at ALL costs!
Great tips! I had to do a 22 mile training run last winter on a treadmill. I changed treadmills every 5 miles so it felt a bit more broken up than 3 hours on one machine.
you are a badass for doing a long run on the TM. i think my longest has been 8 miles. whew.
I have done up to 9 miles on the treadmill – but always with something good on TV!
I actually miss treadmill running because of all the MTV I used to watch…
I thankfully have never had to run that long on a treadmill. Hopefully never. And to respond to your question about the sleeves vs. socks for compression. The sleeves are growing on me…I should do a pros and cons post! lol They can be easier to put on but the socks are nice cause they are socks!
Wow, 19 miles on a treadmill is very impressive, I only seem to be able to manage interval sessions on them!
That breakfast looks amazing!! AWESOME RUN!!! Dang!! My tips….new playlist, shot blocks and TV!! We are getting so close to Boston!!
Thanks for some fantastic trips! I don’t really watch TV, but the movie setup sounds amaaaaaaaazing. Your breakfast looks pretty fantastic, too- I am totally craving french toast now 🙂
that’s awesome. I have yet to do more than 4 miles on the treadmill, but i’m warming up to it. I’ve just gotten used to running in the rain though since i live in Seattle.
So jealous of your gym, nothing like staring at CNN for two hours. Agree with loading up on the goodies and making sure I have a really good play list to sing along with. I am not sure if I could focus on the screen long enough to watch a movie but certainly something to try when getting up into the double digits!! Glad to hear/read I am not the only one who refuses to run in the rain or cold. Thanks for sharing your tips 😉
What a weekend, eek! I’m so sorry that your wedding planning weekend plans were derailed, ugh 🙁 I’ve heard stories of that happening from friends in CO, it sounds really scary and dangerous!
Thanks for the tips on the treadmill long run, I’ve only done 8 miles on a T-mill before and I seriously thought I was going to die because I was so bored! Someone once told me that they were forced to do a 20 miler on a treadmill and they broke it up and switched treadmills every 5 miles. I’m not sure if I could do that because I like seeing the cumulative data, but I think desperate times definitely call for desperate measures. I hope the rain has stopped and sickness stays away during the next month!!!
Oh, my gym has those tvs, too, but I didn’t even think about NETFLIX! That’s a cool option!
I’ve been running most of my long runs on the treadmill for my upcoming marathon. The most I’ve done is 21 miles. Honestly, I have a tv in front of me, but I’m not able to run well while watching tv…not sure why. For me, music is my ultimate motivator. I need new tunes before a long run. There are plenty of points when I feel liked dying, but then I start focusing on 1 mile at a time – otherwise it becomes too overwhelming!
Netflix + iPhone + fancy treadmill = wow! I feel so behind the times. And behind in reading your blog…you’ve been writing a lot lately!
I am training for a half marathon in December (in the North). I try to run outside to get used to the cold, but, like you, I don’t like to run in wet icky weather that will likely lead to a cold.
Do you have any recommendations for preventing injuries on the treadmill? I find that the more I’m on the treadmill, the more my inner ankles hurt. I’m working adding some strengthening exercises, but I assume it could be a result of poor form as well?
I am so glad I found this article! I do most of my runs on the treadmill so I need all the entertainment ideas I can get! Most of my trouble with treadmill runs is my mind, but lately I have been having a really tough time with my right hip flexor. It has been really tough to get through any running with this injury!!
My longest run on the treadmill was when training for my last marathon in 2011. I did 18 miles. It was pretty rough lol.
I’m training for another marathon at the end of February, and my longest run on the treadmill has been 7 this time. I did 10 this morning- 4 outside and 6 on the mill.