I’ve talked about it more than once on this blog. I LOVE Friday morning long runs. It’s one less thing on my weekend to do list and now, while I’m triathlon training, it also allows for time swimming and biking with Bo.
However, sometimes things don’t go as planned. I woke up this morning at 5am, got dressed, ate a banana and peanut butter while sipping on Nuun. I walked out the front door at 5:15 and heard a loud clap of thunder and saw lightening in the distance. I am all for running in the elements, including rain, but I do not like taking chances when it comes to lightning.
Knowing in the back of my mind that we have plans tonight and a Fourth of July BBQ and party tomorrow, the last thing I wanted to do was try and schedule my long run between those activities. While I have learned over the past few months that I can definitely bike with a hangover, I have no desire to run with one. I went back to bed for two hours and decided to pack my gear for a post work long run on the treadmill.
I can now say that I have run 13 miles on the treadmill.
With a little bit of planning and strategy, it wasn’t as bad as I expected. Here are my tips for making your next treadmill long run a success.
1. Break it 30 minute increments. For some reason, 30 minutes is a very manageable and acceptable time to run on a treadmill. It also means that anytime your eye sees the clock it sees a number that isn’t intimidating. Every 30 minutes I grabbed a sip of water and quickly restarted the treadmill.
2. Switch up your entertainment. For this run, I brought three forms of entertainment: music, television show and the World Cup. I listened to music for the first 4 miles, watched an episode of Mad Men for 5 miles and then watched the France versus Germany World Cup game for the final 4 miles. If you don’t have a television or iPad show option, changing playlists or genre of music can be a good option. Another idea is to listen to a podcast or audiobook half the time and then music the other half.
3. Don’t forget fuel and water. I kept a water bottle next to me on the treadmill but when I started to get tired around mile 11 I realized I forgot to bring fuel. Since my tank was empty for the final few miles my pace definitely suffered a bit as did my overall mentality.
4. Take advantage of the elevation button. Whether or not you’re training for a hilly race, using the elevation button on a treadmill can spice things up during an otherwise monotonous long run. Of course, be careful not to push the elevation too much if your goal is a long distance. One great tip that I found a few years ago is to download the course map for your upcoming race and use try to replicate some of the elevation changes during your run. You can find a lot of elevation maps by typing “elevation grade of <insert race name>” or “elevation chart for <insert race name>.”
5. Bring a towel. I didn’t think to bring a towel since our gym has paper towels readily available. Maybe it was the humidity or the fact that our gym isn’t air conditioned, but I found myself sweating more on the treadmill than I normally would outside! Two hours of sweat wiping later, my face didn’t appreciate the cardboard like paper towels. Next time I’ll bring a small towel to wipe myself down and cover the screen.
A little over two hours later I was able to push stop on the treadmill and kick off the weekend. Thirteen miles is a new personal distance record on the treadmill and while I have no desire to do it again soon, at least I know it’s always an option when weather or scheduling gets in the way.
How far have you run on a treadmill?
13 miles is really hanging in there! I am usually only up for 4 miles of intervals on a treadmill, I’ve gone as far as 8 . . . but anything more needs to be outside for me.
Thanks Jennifer! It wasn’t easy but it was so nice when it was done!
I think my longest ever on a treadmill is MAYBE 4 miles. I’m really impressed 🙂
Well done! I hardly run on the treadmill these days and really struggle when I do. With my marathon training coming up and the British weather not being too reliable, I might have to try out some of these techniques soon – it’s good to know it’s possible! haha. Hope the weather is kinder to you soon!
I rarely run on the treadmill too Bex versus what I used to do. I hope the tips help!
Well done! NOT an easy task. I once ran 15 miles on a treadmill – I was training for my first full marathon (and therefore thought if I didn’t do EVERY training run on my plan I would fail to finish the race) and was on vacation in very hot and humid Hawaii. I got to the hotel gym at 6am, and 2.5 hours later I stepped off that darn treadmill and had the best brunch of my life (hello macadamia nut waffles with coconut syrup!)
Thanks Kristine! Holy cow if I had that waiting for me I think I could push through too! GREAT job!
I’ve done a max of 8 on a treadmill. Switching up music and elevation is indeed so helpful. I also like to have mini competitions with myself…so maintaining one pace for a 5k and then trying to beat it for the next 5k. Just another way to break it up! A half on the tread is awesome! Way to go!
That’s a great idea Tracy! I don’t know how much I could speed up for this distance but for shorter ones it’s definitely a great idea!
I’ve done a few long runs on the treadmill. It really helps to break up the time somehow. I do intervals alternating 3 minutes and 2 minutes. After each interval, I bump the speed up or down one step. I think the longest I’ve done is 13, but I didn’t know that my treadmill turned itself off at 99:59, so I didn’t see what the mileage was.
Haha great idea Joselyn though I don’t know how much I could bump up the speed during a long run!
I love your treadmill tips! My PR on a treadmill is 13 miles too, and it definitely takes some ingenuity to keep it interesting. I’ll definitely remember to switch up my video/listening needs to keep it fun. Great idea, and thank you!
Thanks Kate! I hope that I don’t need to do 13 on the treadmill again anytime soon 🙂