Treadmill Pace Adjustment Questions

atasic

 Several questions for my favorite crowd here at EN. I am looking for some suggestions on workout execution indoors on the treadmill.

My VDOT is 53, tested outside in very cool weather, 40F.....Excellent cooling. That yields the T-pace 6:32/mi. 

I am forced to go inside on a Lifefitness treadmill at the gym to complete 2x1.5mi@T-pace. I will elevate the incline to 1%. Let's assume the treadmill is calibrated. I have a history of attempting to hold outdoor paces just to spectacularly implode before the work is over. Lack of cooling kills me.

What would be a smart way of adjusting the T-pace in order to get this completed correctly. What is your adjustment suggestion.

I was thinking dialing in about 6:55/mi to start. I will convert 1.5mi into 10min interval, so it will go as 2x10min@T-pace.

Thanks.

scottwstewart

I have noticed the same thing when I try to use my zones from an outdoor test inside on the treadmill. One thing that's helped me is to always have an ice cold bottle of water to drink throughout the workout. This helps to cool me down a little and helps replace the water that I'm sweating. Since you sweat much more in a warm environment it is easier to become dehydrated, which obviously affects performance. By doing that, I have not found the need to adjust my zones. I also don't use an incline on the treadmill though.

Dave Tallo

I'm curious about the same question for tonight's run. But my zen answer for your case: you've posted a ton of sessions where you have put in FT work that is timed to the second outside, and I would guess that whether you know it or not, you probably have a very well honed RPE that you can spot from a long ways away. (aside: next time you're at a track, run a few miles at TP: first at timed laps, recover, then run the next by RPE. I bet dollars to donuts that the miles are within 2s of one another).



My advice: warmup as EP, using RPE first and HR second. Then put in a mile, starting maybe 0.5mph slower than land pace. How do you feel at 4 minutes in (or wherever lactic acid starts to accumulate?) exactly the same as land? Stay at that number. too slow? bump up until you hit that familiar RPE in the remaining 2 and a half minutes.



 

Wiseman

No difference in pacing for me, except/because I strategically place a fan right in front, and the room is 55 degrees....

atasic

 @Scott, thanks. Hydrating for sure, plus 600-800mg of sodium on top, I got that nailed, no issues. The pacing bugs me more, I cannot keep it no matter how well I can gulp the fluids. Adequate fluids help me take less in recovery later as each treadmill session imposes a heat exhaustion recovery after. I also seem to be more sore and longer lasting.

@Dave, that is a good starting point on pacing, thanks. I was looking for something like that. Your track experiment is excellent. I have one problem though, I am discovering that I am one of those "tunnel visioned" guys who will hold the programmed pace until the wheels fall off. I need to learn to be flexible enough to accept lesser pace when conditions dictate. I have mangled several sessions since this fall just sticking to the pace and ignoring RPE and other factors, just to blow up before the work is over, realizing that I was running a false flat uphill or into the wind holding targeted pace while RPE was screaming at me.

Thanks to both of you guys, I will take both advice.

atasic

 @William, thanks. That would stand true for me as well, but this is the gym environment. I bet they would eject me out if I was to propose that idea.

Dave Tallo

So is it geeky that I was planning to bring my own personal tsunami power fan to the gym?

jburbatt

I actually find I can hold my outdoor paces on the treadmill without the 1% incline, but once I add that 1% I can't hold them anymore. I know that the 1% is supposed to equal running outside, but it just doesn't do it for me. Without the incline my paces are always the same inside and out. Might be worth a try without the incline.

Coach Patrick

AT - I usually up the incline to like 2 or 2.5% at the same pace as outdoors to compensate for the t-mill effect. IF I need to go faster than 10mph, then the % goes up higher.

Patrick

atasic

 Thanks everybody for input.

@Coach P, not that good just yet. 10mph would have been my Daniels I-pace, 2-2.5% would kill me pretty quick, found that maybe can tolerate 1%. 

I was more agonizing over the previous experience of not being able to hold outdoor T-pace on the treadmill. I think I will start it at 6:55/mi and as Dave indicated , eyeball the RPE, breathing......and take it from there. That would be 23sec/mi slower than outside. Will I have achieved the required physiological effect. 

kefali69

Posted By Patrick McCrann on 12 Jan 2011 03:55 PM

AT - I usually up the incline to like 2 or 2.5% at the same pace as outdoors to compensate for the t-mill effect. IF I need to go faster than 10mph, then the % goes up higher.



Patrick

I just used this same 2.0-2.5% compensation for my Vdot test this afternoon.  In the past, I've used my HRM to correlate treadmill incline+speed to a reasonably flat, paved path at 5k and 10k distances.  Most coaches/athletes will advise a 1.0-1.5% incline on the TM, but I've found that to be far from optimal at paces below ~7:00/mile.  For the 2.5% incline, HR tracked well at 5k paces down as low as 5:40 (about 10.6mph).  A 2% incline was sufficient for >6:00 paces.

atasic

 @Justine, thanks. I cannot keep paces at 1%, so 2-2.5% would kill me. Thanks though. I understand that it works for you and coach P, I am not at that level yet when it comes to treadmill. 

kefali69

The treadmill (TM) is merely a tool, and has inherent variability between both brands and users.  I'm of the opinion that most treadmills have a sweet spot that only correlates well within a specific speed range, but you have to find it.  I have no issues using the TM for anything 10k and faster because I've successfully "calibrated" it to my performance.  I've known people that try to perform SS runs at 15k or HM pace, and can't get comfortable between the incline levels.

I would also caution TM users against running too often or for too long at excessive incline levels.  The constant grade and flexibility of the running surface can cause rapid overuse of calf muscles and connective tissues around the foot and ankle.  It's comparable to the symptoms experienced by runners that transition to a "minimalist" shoe style too quickly.

atasic

 Thanks guys, got it done and with success. May have left a little on the table, but it is better to do so than go to the other side of equation. 

@Dave, thanks for a good reminder and a practical advice.

@Justine, got it on incline, fully agree with you and thank you again.

Thank you everybody, I took all of it to heart, excersized restraint early and turned out to be mission complete. Just could not geek out on the fan. I have a big one for the trainer, just don't think they let me take it into the gym.