Manatees - 2019 Edition - Practice Maximum Enthusiasm - CLOSED (Page 63)

Question...how many of you do a large portion of your running on a treadmill?

I have ZERO tolerance to running in the heat and humidity, and it's been over 100 degrees the last 5 days. If this is what it's like in May, I'm concerned what June, July and August will bring.

I've tried so many different things over the last 5 years to adapt to running in heat and humidity, and as I'm getting older, I'm becoming even less able to do so. I'm considering doing some (not all) of my training runs for IM LOU indoors on a treadmill (even though, in some ways, that seems almost as bad as running outdoors in hell).

Pros?
Cons?
Thoughts?
Successes?
Isues?

Thinking about treadmills as well but for the opposite reason. Unless there's some kind of miracle and I am offered a job on Oahu in the next few weeks or unless I don't get ANY job, it looks most likely that for the indefinite future my training will involve plenty of dark, cold, wet, and/or snowy winter mornings and/or evenings. After all the elbow drama this year, NO WAY am I going to risk running on iffy surfaces in the dark, even with a headlamp. Nor do I really want to depend on equipment availability and opening hours at the gym. Probably will be in the market for a treadmill in that case.

That being said, I detest them. Just makes running feel like work. Unlike cycling, I've always kind of had an expectation that running be at least sort of enjoyable, probably because I started very young and for enjoyment, not racing, and the treadmill just kills that. To top it off, I cannot watch videos while running without getting nasty vertigo. I also feel like it's harder on my body--my knees, hips, and back tend to hurt in ways they don't with other surfaces. But it's no doubt better than not running at all for months, or breaking more bones! One caveat on my experience--for almost all my running life, I have only gotten on a treadmill a few times a year, if that, usually when traveling or due to really bad weather. It's possible if I ran on them more often I would enjoy it more--or not!

The one time I did do extensive running on a treadmill was the last time I injured the same elbow. My x-rays were ambiguous, insurance wouldn't cover an MRI, and it wasn't clear if there was a hairline fracture or just some severe bone bruising and unhappy soft tissue, so I was told to minimize risk of falling for six weeks in case there was a break. Of course this was eight or nine weeks before Angkor Wat Half Marathon. So 90% of my training for that race was on the treadmill. I was hoping to place top 5 overall so it was fairly ambitious training including tempo work and long runs up to 2 hours. My impression was that while I was able to do the same length and quality of sessions as outdoors, they took a lot more out of my legs. I was surprised as at the time running outdoors almost always meant temps in 80's and 90's, high humidity, and often smog (in Saigon), while indoors was in a gym with AC and a HEPA filter. My recovery seemed poor. In retrospect, this may have had other causes, like my body trying to heal an injury at the same time, or the high doses of anti-inflammatories I was on. (I'm on similar meds now--actually just trying to go off of them-- and I do feel like they mess with muscular fatigue and recovery pathways somehow.)

I didn't enjoy my runs much at all, and pretty much counted the days for six weeks. When I did start running on the road again, it felt awkward and unusually fatiguing for about a week. The race didn't end up going that well, but not necessarily due to training mostly on a treadmill--I'd had a stomach bug and fever the week before and was feeling well below 100% by race day. It became a matter of "complete" (and visit several porta-potties en route) rather than "compete". That being said, I did keep up my run fitness, probably would have had an okay if not stellar race if I'd been a bit healthier, and had a good tri season the following spring.

There are plenty of elite triathletes who do a lot of their running on a treadmill. I'd be willing to do it, but I think if possible keep 1-2 outdoor runs per week, weather permitting. There just seems to be something a bit biomechanically different about it from normal running, at least for me, as well as the enjoyment factor.

I run almost exclusively on a treadmill from December until May/June because it is so cold, wet and icy here. I don't mind it and it's effective. I watch movies while running. I don't watch anything that takes thought, normally some type of brainless action type stuff.
I am on my third treadmill and my current one is the best I've had. It's a Sole. The company was founded by engineers who worked at a commercial treadmills. They make treadmills with better deck and motor.
I don't remember the brand of my first one, we bought at Sears and the motor burned out. The second was a NordicTrac. The deck on that one broke.
If you get one, the deck and the motor are the most important parts. The Deck must have some spring to it, or it is like running on cement.
Running outside is more fun.

For some reason I hate treadmill so much, but if I have a movie to watch during a run, I can get pass my treadmill feelings very easily. I do elliptical machine, not treadmill. I like it, especially when I can run backwards. It is a great alternative for bad weather. I was fine with long runs outside, after running for weeks on the elliptical.

Edited by marysia83 2019-05-30 9:54 AM

ZERO.

A few years back I ran on the treadmill a LOT. Then I got hurt - whether it was really because of the treadmill or not I don't really know but it's kinda like when you get food poisoning - the only thing you remember was the last thing you ate......


Anyway on the rare occasions when I determine it is not safe to run outside (usually weather related) I will use the elliptical.

Having said all that. How have you tried to adapt to the heat? I can generally deal with the heat but it's when the SUN beats down on me I lose it. This winter I've been doing hot yoga and hope it will help. I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. I also started carrying cooling towels and loading up on ice whenever I can get it and put it wherever I can stuff it.

It took me a long time to work out how to run in the heat (after moving to Saigon from Oregon and, before that, Beijing!). Hydration is critical--I'd almost never carry just water; always electrolyte drink, really for anything over 10-15 minutes, and drink every five minutes on the bike or run. (Actually, I would even carry electrolyte drinks if out running errands!) I sweat a crazy amount for someone my size (like a small car with an overheated engine!) and in hot, humid conditions take in about 750-900 ml of fluids per hour. I used salt tabs on long runs/rides as well (over about 80-90 minutes, one per hour). A big problem for most people is that true physical adaptation to those conditions takes a long time--probably longer than the summer usually lasts in Canada or most of the US! I think it was 6 months to a year before I could run close to the distances and paces I'd been doing at home.

Slowing down is inevitable; I'd normally do my workouts by heart rate and slow down or even walk if it got above the intended zone for the workout. And after a lot of unsuccessful experiences, I simply gave up on tempo runs over about 15-20 minutes in the tropics--my heart rate would go so high I'd end up nauseous, and I'd have to do so much walking to get it back down that I would cramp up. Just told my coach that I'd rather do shorter, harder runs with some recovery in between than the longer tempo stuff--the latter just took me too long to recover from and seemed to be counterproductive, especially since my job and daily life had me unavoidably out in the heat to some extent during the rest of the day.

Oh, that's fantastic!! Yehey!
Have you been to San Antonio before? Do you like it there? Will the location help with your training and such...?

WHat is the ultra that you're having in Ohio?

Hey hey hey, that's so cool. Congrats on the job, good luck on the move, and crush that ultra!

Thanks for the treadmill info. I've probably done, maybe 6 runs on the treadmill in the last 2 years (one of which was yesterday). Coach is ok if I do 30% of my runs indoors, but not key workouts. So, I may just do my little 'recovery' runs indoors in the air conditioning and such it up otherwise.

Found out via Facebook that IM Louisville run course changed and is now entirely along the riverfront until the last 4/10 of a mile and finish. That made my hotel choice (wanting my 80 y.o. mom to be ON the run course) pretty much obsolete, so after 30 minutes of complaining and whining, I now have a new hotel (the Aloft) a few what looks like 2 blocks from transition and where I'll pass many times on the run. It also means I may be purchasing a small, cheap microwave simply so I can cook my oatmeal in the morning.

It'll make everything easier except the walk back to the hotel post race. However, my sister (who is going with me) appreciates not having to walk miles to go get my stuff out of transition while I'm on the run.

Edited by glfprncs 2019-05-31 1:50 PM

A great bunch ofn racers! Have fun..i love the manatee water meet up. It seems fitting.

Exciting stuff, all but the limited timeline for selling the house and relocating!   I can't wait to hear about your ultra.

I hear you on that. I've had to set up "shutdown" deadlines on the Hawaii jobs I'm applying for because there just isn't time to get the move done anymore (they start late July). Adding pet import requirements (unique to Hawaii) to the usual sell/buy/move and it becomes a big mess. Basically "neighbor islands" outside Oahu are now out (the permits take longer); Oahu might be feasible for two more weeks but after that it looks like I'll be staying in the Pacific Northwest, possibly unemployed. Local districts are just getting started with posting positions. I had no idea--last time I was looking in the US it all mostly happened in April and May.

I hope you all had a great time!
I saw pictures of a very nice meetup of Manatees swimmers ))