Transitioning from running outside to the treadmill
hey folks,
so my runs outside are dwindling and it'll be "all DM all the time" soon. My question: is there a "standard" adjustment to paces without using the 1-2% incline guidance ? I'd rather avoid that, as it usually ends up giving me achilles/calf problems (maybe I don't warm up for long enough? not sure.).
interested in how others approach this. My swag is to tick up the speed button so that i'm 5-15 seconds faster per mile than my vdot derived paces.
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Rich - I agree with the risk of injury rising with the incline. I raise the TM up to 0.5%, cause flat just does not feel right. As to speed, I find it's quite dependent on whether I have good ventilation going. No fan, 70F - I may not even be able to hit my outdoor pace. 60F room, with fan(s) going full blast on my legs, chest, and face, I may be able to hit up to 30s/mi faster. Ya gotta experiement, go by HR and RPE as well as pace.
And of course, that's not discounting the possible variation in speed among treadmills, and whether or not the speed on the dashboard is correlated with real-life speed. There may be a variation there due to poor calibration by the software engineers, or variation in electrical current, who knows what.
Best thing to do is try to control for al the variables - same TM every time, same fan set-up,, and use RPE and HR as a back-up.
Oh, and since we're so close to another test, some people do a TM specific test, which is kind of tricky, as you can see and set the speed you're going. Some folks tape over the speed indicator, and try to raise/lower the speed as needed without seeing what they are actually going.
My 2-cents, ymmv, and I am not a wfsm (wicked fast/smart member) so I would defer to wisdom from the more experienced, but I have an opinion so I will share it despite my lack of credentials and wisdom.
I would go with the 2% incline and address the calf issues directly.
I would ease into the 2% incline over a few weeks, perhaps a half-percent at a time - start with .5% for a week, then 1% for a week, then...
During this time I would maintain, and not increase, your target paces.
I would warm up a little longer and incorporate some dynamic warm-ups into your pre-TM routine.
I would also build warm-ups and stretching and functional strength and rolling into the rest of your day and into your rest days. Focus the functional strength exercises on your trouble spots.
If you begin to experience calf or other symptoms, then address: back off .5% and allow more time to acclimate to incline; roll more; stretch more, esp not around your workout (between meetings at work, evenings before turning in...)
The goal would be to improve the injury resistance of your calf muscles and other trouble spots by increasing strength and flexibility.
Best!
http://www.hillrunner.com/training/tmillchart.php
OMG, based on the chart that Jason just lined to, I think a gianormous lightbulb just went off in my head ... I've always wondered why my outside paces (measured w/ Garmin GPS) and inside (TM) were so far off (i.e. ~ 30secs/mile faster outside), and why the TM pace was always slower than the Garmin footpod inside. I never accounted for the 2% TM incline. Based on that chart, the discrepancy between TM pace and Garmin footpad measured apce is almost negligable. Bottom line, I think I'm not quite as hopelessly slow as my TM leads me to believe
Rich,
I'm don't have a good pace predictor to help but I just do a test on the treadmill at the start of the OS as I know that's where I'll spend the buik of my time even though I do some running outside.
Gordon
Totally agree with Al on that, although in general I'm more often unable to hit my outdoor paces on the TM than to exceed them.
I go with the 1.5% incline all the time...someone told me it is more like running outdoors...not sure if true but I'll believe it.
By thte way, why stay inside? I live in Chicago and run outdoors year round. Even in snow. Just not ice. You don't even need to spend a ton on fancy cold-weather clothing...I'll run in a long-sleeved base layer down to the low 20's, and even wear shorts until 27-27 or so. Gloves and a hat are important.
then try that http://www.runquick.com/corcorn/treadmill.html
If that doesn't help I'd swag as you suggested.
thanks everyone, great stuff - very helpful!