I’ll be the first to admit it, no one’s first choice is running on the treadmill. I am one of the rare little that don’t mind it too much simply because it allows me to act what I love to do — run. I used to dread the treadmill a lot more than I do now, and I think that is partly owing to the fact that I have learned tricks to help me get through my runs.
Of course, if you have the option, run outside! Enjoy the beauty! There are some days that call for treadmill running simply because the weather isn’t cooperating. Here are 5 tricks I use to make my treadmill runs go by faster:
- Bring water and drink ever “x” number of minutes. This may sound crazy, but I take a water bottle with me and drink every 6 minutes. It gives me shorter intervals to look forward to completing, and it really does help the minutes go by quicker because instead of focusing on the entire time you have to complete you are just looking to get through the next 6 minutes.
- Switch up your workouts. I sometimes will go slow and long on treadmills, but typically I save my speed or tempo workouts for the treadmill. There are many workouts you can look up online such as Les Mills On Demand, but treadmills are a great place to do interval workouts, high intensity training, or progression. Anything that makes you change the speed or incline of the treadmill throughout the workout will help to break up the monotony and before you know it your total workout will be complete!
- Use a gym treadmill. I have a treadmill at home and at the gym, and sometimes just for the motivation of having other people around I will opt to go to the gym to run on the treadmill. Sometimes having other people around you, or others to hold you accountable helps to give you that extra small push of motivation to get your workout done.
- Focus on one mile at a time. Instead of looking at the total number of miles you have to go, focus on completing one mile at a time. When you focus on a shorter goal it helps the larger goal go by faster. It gives you motivation throughout the workout and makes it seem a little more bearable.
- Cover up the total distance. I do this when I run outside with my Garmin as well, but for some reason when I see the distance I’ve got and stare at it the whole time it makes the time go by SO much slower. And also, I usually will either enlarge the TV screen (on the gym treadmill) or put a towel over the screen (on the home treadmill) so that I can’t see the total distance. I typically don’t mind seeing the time that’s passed, but this makes it not seem quite as bad and then I base my workout on time not necessarily distance.
Treadmill running isn’t always awful, and there are ways to make it enjoyable. Try to stay positive and realize that by running on the treadmill you are not only increasing your physical strength but also your mental strength. That’s often even more important during workouts or runs!