When to hit the dreadmill

Last week we gave you some winter running tips including letting you know that we’re cool with you hitting the treadmill (aka the dreadmill) from time to time this winter. Well, mother nature hit the greater Vancouver area pretty hard last week. I know, I know, those of you east of the rockies are laughing right now. But, really, it snowed and it was cold. Dylan even broke out his Mizuno sleeping bag coat for practice on Tuesday night!

WHEN
We are most often asked when is it too cold to run outside. There isn’t really a temperature that we set the limits at. You aren’t going to do damage to your lungs by breathing in the air at temps that most of us experience from coast to coast in Canada. If you dress appropriately you should be okay running outdoors at temps as low as -30C. Dylan has become super soft after moving to the west coast and won’t run outside if it’s colder than -5C. But, again, he is a wimp when it comes to the cold.
Our biggest concern when it comes to deciding whether to brave the elements or stay inside is the footing. If the ground under foot is terrible because of ice, black ice, any colour ice and you risk falling and busting yourself we think the treadmill is a pretty decent option. It’s also okay if there is a blizzard and you can’t see 5 inches in front of your face. Running outside might not be safe in those conditions, so break out a singlet and shorts and head inside.

WHERE
Anywhere you can find a treadmill. Start with your local gym or your next door neighbour (if you live next door to Chip Wilson). But be aware most gyms have a 20-30 minute maximum use. Try to find one where there is no limit at all. But be warned many treadmills shut down automatically after 60 minutes. Dylan has learned this the hard way, by falling on his face when the treadmill stopped dead unannounced.

HOW
The same way you run when you are outside, one foot in front of the other, over and over and over again. We recommend setting the incline to 1%. Although the research is mixed on this, we believe setting the treadmill at this slight incline best mimics running outdoors. And do not try to change your running gait in anyway. It might take a minute or two to find your groove on the tmill, and even though it might feel strange, your gait should be more or less the same as it is running outside.
It might get a bit boring, so load up your mp3 player (remember those!) with a good mix – we recommend Whitehorse and Arthur Oskan. Bring a bottle of water to stay hydrated. And a towel to wipe off the ridiculous amount of sweat that you will expire. If you need some variety, throw in a few hills periodically by changing the incline.

If it’s still winter next week we will try to come at you with some of our favourite treadmill workouts. We’ve done a few doozies in our day, like Dylan’s 20miler with 8*1mile @ 5:00 thrown in, done at 7,000ft elevation. That was just silly…