Yesterday afternoon I ran my workout indoors on our treadmill. One mile warmup followed by 10/.5 mile @ 10k goal pace with 1 minute jog at 10min/mile pace (though I did get off the treadmill for an extra minute after the 5th interval to adjust the fan and catch my breath a bit more).
I used the treadmill because I wanted a true measure of the distance. The high school track was unavailable, dump road isn't marked accurately right now and I didn't want to keep checking my Garmin if out on the roads or canal path. Also allergies, a big problem this time of year for me, don't affect my breathing indoors.
About the 6th or 7th interval I began to wonder if I really was doing myself as much good as if I had ventured outside? The treadmill is constant, it's not going to slow down or speed up unless you press a button, there is no relaxation during part of the interval and then picking it up at the end to try and hit your goal time. But, there is no wind, except for the little breeze from my fan. I did not do any elevation change either (but a track wouldn't have this).
On the track or road there is a tendency to slow down too much, maybe even walk more than you should or stop for fluids. There was none of this on the treadmill, I drank while running.
Please take a minute and answer the poll on the right, or comment on this post about your feelings on this. Thanks.
Harder may not be better.
ReplyDeleteTry fartlek, do trails, have fun.
Remember 800meters on track is about 5 yards short of 880yards or .5 mile I did on treadmill. Another reason treadmill is a bit harder.
ReplyDeleteHave fun? "This ain't no party, ain't no foolin' around!" (Talking Heads)
ReplyDeleteAnything run harder than our usual world problem solving pace helps us get faster. Mix up the workouts. Do some fartlek on trails or on the towpath. Run the village and speed up on the hills. Do some pickups on a long run. Let me know when you find a workout that makes you 35yrs old again.
ReplyDelete