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Jimmy J.

Treadmill Training.+

posted over 2 years ago | Report

I know absolutely nothing about Treadmills. But I just found out I have access to a treadmill and some other workout equipment where I work @ the Physical Therapy Building. I can use these anytime I want to as long as they don't have any patients. (Patients Come 1st).

I found on the internet this link: Treadmill Pace Conversion. http://www.funfitnesssolutions.com/treadmill_pace_conversion.htm

But it seems like with an 8 or 9-minute mile I may be in the floor, and not on the treadmill. Why? I started out last night after work with only 1-mile run. I was running 2.0/mph for the first lap, then 3.0/mph for the next .5m's, and 2.0/mph again for the last lap. I finished with just over 21-minutes. It seemed I was going much faster, lol. ( = But I guess not.

Any helpful advice about treadmills feel free to comment. I will try it again whenever I can. Thanks guys and gals @ dailymile.
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Jimmy J...+

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  John P.

  I now have nearly a year of experience running on treadmills! I've come to make an uneasy peace with them.

  There are several possibilities for your perceptions of pace. The very first time I tried a treadmill, I also felt that I was going MUCH faster than the machine was telling me. I think some of it can be psychological: Every other time in your life you've run, your pace has been under your direct control. To run faster, you just run faster; to run slower, you just run slower. If you want to stop, you just stop. You don't have to think about it. On the treadmill, though, the "ground" is moving beneath you whether you are running or not! When I first started running on the machine, this made the pace feel very fast and reckless - even though I was going at a pace that would be laughably slow if I were doing it on a road or track. The good news is that this feeling passes after you've done treadmill running a few times.

  Of course, another possibility is that your treadmill isn't properly calibrated. I'm told that treadmills require occasional adjustment for the speed/distance indicator to be accurate. I've got to think this possibility is unlikely, though, given the location and purpose of the treadmill you're using. You'd think that physical therapists would be downright obsessive over accuracy.

  As for pace conversion, my basic rule of thumb is that a 1% incline on the treadmill gives you about the same level of intensity as the same pace on level ground outdoors. That has the virtue of being easy to remember. And since what I usually do on the treadmill is the kind of speed workout that I used to do on a track, the equivalent of level is what I'm usually aiming for. The idea (which I took from Jack Daniels' book) is that running outdoors means you have some air resistance (even if the wind is still). The slight incline compensates for the lack of air resistance when you're running on the treadmill.

  posted over 2 years ago

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  Marcus G.

  I've been through the treadmill pace thing, too and my coach (nationally ranked ultra runner) explained to me that treadmills are typically calibrated in the factory for walking.

  The faster you go and the cheaper the treadmill, the less accurate the data. In fact, she sent me a conversion chart for when I do treadmill workouts and the difference she provided to me was about 10%. That sounds like a LOT but she told me that most of the elites she trains with apply the same 10% rule.

  THE EXCEPTION? If you're fortunate enough to train at an Olympic facility on a treadmill that costs several thousands of dollars and is calibrated regularly.

  This is the chart she sent me. I taped it to my treadmill:
  TREADMILL ACTUAL
  Rpm Min/mile Min/mile
  6.3 9:30 8:33
  6.4 9:22 8:26
  6.5 9:14 8:18
  6.6 9:05 8:10
  6.7 8:57 8:02
  6.8 8:49 7:56
  6.9 8:42 7:50
  7.0 8:34 7:42
  7.1 8:27 7:36
  7.2 8:20 7:30
  7.3 8:13 7:24
  7.4 8:06 7:17
  7.5 8:00 7:12
  7.6 7:53 7:06
  7.7 7:47 7:00
  7.8 7:41 6:55
  7.9 7:35 6:50
  8.0 7:30 6:45

  posted over 2 years ago | edited over 2 years ago

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  Dana

  Great comments from John and Marcus.

  My wife gave me a an HR/pace watch for my birthday a few months ago and based on comparing with what my watch was telling my speed was and what the TM was saying I'd have to agree with Marcus on those numbers. The TM definitely seemed off.

  posted over 2 years ago

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  Jimmy J.

  in reply to what John P. said:I now have nearly a year of experience running on treadmills! I've come to make an uneasy peace with them. There are several possibilities for your perceptions of pace. The very first time I tried a treadmill, I also felt that I was going MUCH f...aster than the machine was telling me. I think some of it can be psychological: Every other time in your life you've run, your pace has been under your direct control. To run faster, you just run faster; to run slower, you just run slower. If you want to stop, you just stop. You don't have to think about it. On the treadmill, though, the "ground" is moving beneath you whether you are running or not! When I first started running on the machine, this made the pace feel very fast and reckless - even though I was going at a pace that would be laughably slow if I were doing it on a road or track. The good news is that this feeling passes after you've done treadmill running a few times. Of course, another possibility is that your treadmill isn't properly calibrated. I'm told that treadmills require occasional adjustment for the speed/distance indicator to be accurate. I've got to think this possibility is unlikely, though, given the location and purpose of the treadmill you're using. You'd think that physical therapists would be downright obsessive over accuracy. As for pace conversion, my basic rule of thumb is that a 1% incline on the treadmill gives you about the same level of intensity as the same pace on level ground outdoors. That has the virtue of being easy to remember. And since what I usually do on the treadmill is the kind of speed workout that I used to do on a track, the equivalent of level is what I'm usually aiming for. The idea (which I took from Jack Daniels' book) is that running outdoors means you have some air resistance (even if the wind is still). The slight incline compensates for the lack of air resistance when you're running on the treadmill. read more

  Thanks John. Very helpful information. God Bless.+

  posted over 2 years ago

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  Jimmy J.

  in reply to what Marcus G. said:I've been through the treadmill pace thing, too and my coach (nationally ranked ultra runner) explained to me that treadmills are typically calibrated in the factory for walking. The faster you go and the cheaper the treadmill, the less accurat...e the data. In fact, she sent me a conversion chart for when I do treadmill workouts and the difference she provided to me was about 10%. That sounds like a LOT but she told me that most of the elites she trains with apply the same 10% rule. THE EXCEPTION? If you're fortunate enough to train at an Olympic facility on a treadmill that costs several thousands of dollars and is calibrated regularly. This is the chart she sent me. I taped it to my treadmill: TREADMILL ACTUAL Rpm Min/mile Min/mile 6.3 9:30 8:33 6.4 9:22 8:26 6.5 9:14 8:18 6.6 9:05 8:10 6.7 8:57 8:02 6.8 8:49 7:56 6.9 8:42 7:50 7.0 8:34 7:42 7.1 8:27 7:36 7.2 8:20 7:30 7.3 8:13 7:24 7.4 8:06 7:17 7.5 8:00 7:12 7.6 7:53 7:06 7.7 7:47 7:00 7.8 7:41 6:55 7.9 7:35 6:50 8.0 7:30 6:45 read more

  Thanks Marcus. It makes sense to me. I know with an easy 21-minutes last night I had to at least run 1-mile on the ole treadmill. That's all I'm required to keep my goal running streak alive. God Bless.+

  posted over 2 years ago

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  Jimmy J.

  in reply to what Dana said: Great comments from John and Marcus. My wife gave me a an HR/pace watch for my birthday a few months ago and based on comparing with what my watch was telling my speed was and what the TM was saying I'd have to agree with Marcus on those numbers.... The TM definitely seemed off. read more

  Thanks Alex. It's warmer today than it has been. Around 30-degrees verses in the teens and much lower. I haven't run yet, but I plan to log a few today. Happy Training, and God Bless.+

  posted over 2 years ago

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