The Importance of Treadmill Running

            Treadmill running is a very important part to your training. Yes, I said it’s an important part. Most people cringe when they hear about training on a treadmill, and immediately they start firing out reasons why it is bad for you. The truth is, that with a little bit of knowledge, treadmill running can be extremely beneficial to you in all stages of training.

            First, I would like to shed a little light on how treadmills work and how to cater them to your needs as a runner. There are two main differences between running on a treadmill and road running. The most obvious is that a treadmill has a padded surface. It is important to keep this in mind while training. When preparing for a race the body must be conditioned to pound against the pavement as well as being able to meet the cardiorespiratory demands. Therefore, the majority of your training should be done on the pavement to ensure that the body can handle the stress. With that said, using a treadmill is a good supplement to get the cardio aspect of the training in without the taxing pounding put on the body. This idea of a “less taxing” run is the first positive attribute of treadmill running.

            The second difference is a little more technical and has to do with activation of the glutes and hamstrings muscles. The action of these muscles is to extend the leg posteriorly, which happens in the back half of the running stride. Since the belt on a treadmill moves, instead of your body, the action of these muscle groups is nullified. When the foot strikes on a treadmill the belt automatically whirls it rearwards, thus doing the job of the glutes and hamstrings. Consequently, treadmill running can cause an imbalance of strength between the quads and glutes/hamstrings. This is where the idea of treadmills predisposing people to ACL tears comes from (weak posterior leg muscles and strong anterior leg muscles.) With that said there is still a way to run on a treadmill with proper glutes/hamstings activation. This is accomplished by setting the treadmill at a slight incline. This incline will demand that the glutes and hamstrings do their jobs, thus strengthening them equally with the quads. When running on a treadmill always remember to set it to a small incline.

            As I stated earlier, treadmill running is a good way to get the cardio affect of running without some of the stress on bones, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, and tendons.  Along those same lines, treadmill running is a little easier on the body in that you can avoid being outside in the heat or in other extreme weather conditions. Obviously, treadmills are usually found inside, so when running on one your body is saved from the toll of heat and humidity. This fact is yet another way to get the cardio affect of running without some of the tax on the body. These two ideas can be very beneficial to a training routine and especially a taper period. Along these times, the one drawback to treadmill running is that too much of it will improperly train your body. Races are done outside in the elements and on the pavement, and that is how most of your training should be done.

            There are many important aspects of treadmill running that cause me to believe that it is an integral part of any training plan. Treadmills are a great choice for doing threshold runs; where you have to hit certain paces, or descend to race pace. The reason for this is that you can set the treadmill to your desired pace, and you are forced to follow it. When trying to do this on the road you must keep checking your very expensive GPS watch and continually change your speed to keep it right. Using a treadmill makes it much easier and hassle free. You can continually change the pace without worrying about holding a certain speed. Treadmills also present a good supplement to a track, if you do not have access to one for your interval runs. Once again you can set it to the pace you desire and see the distance right in front of you. This saves you from mapping out distances for intervals along the roads. Mile and half mile repeats are very easy to do on a treadmill and you don’t have to worry about hitting the track.

            The single most important reason for treadmill running is one of form. As runs progress and you begin to fatigue, form breaks down. One reason for form break down is stride frequency (leg speed) decreases. When leg speed decreases you force yourself to increase stride length and that’s where the break down in form happens. Slow leg speed and over-striding causes a cascade of form deficiencies. When running on the road it is hard to combat this from happening. When running on a treadmill, you are forced to keep your leg speed up in order to keep up with the belt. If you fail to do so you will experience the embarrassment of being flung off the back of the machine! Treadmills are a good way of working on keeping leg speed up and your form dialed in. 

            These are a few of the main points for using treadmill running in your training plan. In my opinion a good training plan includes one or two treadmill runs per week. It is very important, however, that treadmill running be done correctly and for the right reasons.