Some of the people I train are pretty hardcore fitness enthusiasts and compete in marathons and half marathons. The majority of these people will do a lot of their pre contest preparation on the treadmill due to the low impact surface and the ability to accurately track their workout and progress.
One of my favorite clients is a lady who has ran 10 half marathons in the past year and is preparing for her very 1st marathon! She is 50 years old and is in remarkable shape. She will do a pretty strict treadmill routine starting 3 months before competition. She has been training for a marathon in October (2012 )and loves doing all of her pre contest training on a treadmill.
She started off running 5 miles at a 6 pace and will progress up to 20 miles on a treadmill at a 5 pace a week before the competition. She has said that the treadmills ability to accurately track her progress and her routine has been an incredibly valuable training tool.
Most marathon runners are very meticulous with their preparation. If you are running long distances outside on the pavement, it is hard to track exactly how far you have ran. Sure… you can log this information in your car, but it can be difficult to find a 20 mile running path outside! This is where the treadmill comes in handy.
People training for marathons can accurately keep track of how long they are running and the pace they must maintain for their marathon run. Treadmills are also great for marathon runners because of the low impact running surface.
One of the main differences between running outside and on a treadmill is that the ground is moving while you stay in place. The exertion level can be slightly less on a treadmill, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t prepare for your marathon the same way. Use this difference to focus on your form and to develop better cadence. Count the times your foot strikes per minute and keep track of the results. You should be steadily improving up until you run your marathon.
The incline function of treadmills also offers great marathon training. Running on the treadmill at zero percent incline is about the same as running on the road with a slight decline. To make the treadmill experience challenging and similar to an outdoor running experience, boost the incline up a few percent. Instead of increasing the speed and keeping the running surface at zero percent incline, you will see much better results with an improved incline. Adding a few percent to your incline at the same speed will be much more effective for your marathon preparation than increasing the speed. If you are running a marathon chances are you will never be “sprinting” or running very fast. The incline on the treadmill gives you a more realistic experience.
Although I have never heard of a marathon being ran on a treadmill, you must get used to running outside for competition. Treadmill use allows the marathon trainee to run often with very little impact to the joints before competition. Marathon runners must choose a treadmill that is both durable and extremely low impact. Most gym treadmills combine these 2 elements and the Sole treadmills offer this quality as well. One of my clients did the majority of her “at home marathon training” on her Sole F85. She said that it was a great low impact running surface for long distances and helped prepare her immensely for competition.
