Reasons Why You Should Run on Treadmill

Treadmills are not just for winters when there is a cold weather outside and don’t find space to run. This incredible machine can actually help you reaching your fitness goals if used properly and good care is taken.

Here are the top reasons why you should run on treadmill, how it turns your training around and helps you get faster:

Provides a good surface:

Many runners train on dirt surface if body is aching. Though it is a good idea but an uneven surface can exacerbate problems if you do not have a great foot mechanics. With treadmill you get a flat and a forgiving surface, so it is good for you if you are experiencing aches and pain.
It’s an easy workout
If you are planning to run a 3 mile hill road, good luck. You can run one on a treadmill. You can stimulate anything you want to, so it is a great way to train for an out of a town race with a challenging terrain. You can still get the same metabolic challenge while reducing the impact.

A chance to check your form

What you cannot do on open roads or park, you can do in front of a mirror: to observe your activities like speed, heart rate, calories burnt, distance covered etc. Many runners have no idea what they look like and observing your stats increases your awareness and gives you a great kinesthetic sense.
If you are plodding or not lifting knees, this is the time to notice and experiment with ways to change it.

Safety:

Traffic, inattentive people or wrong side of town, treadmill leaves you blissfully free of all those hazards. Many athletes tune in to their workout as opposed to distract themselves, but once in a while it is very nice to set the treadmill and just run. If you tend to slow down as you run along, treadmill training can help you correct that. Slow down too much and you will be like a truck chasing a Ferrari!

Read how to use treadmill safely for more information

A mental challenge

Slogging through miles without change in scenery (except the people moving in house or some movement outside your house) can be a mind numbing. It is a great mental training exercise – especially for long and tough races – learning how to suck in and deal with it.
If zoning out is not just your kind of workout, then keep yourself busy. Try to increase your heart rate two or three times and then see what you have to do to bring it down back. Observe it: how many times you can bring it up and down in 20 min while running on treadmill.

Note: If you feel uncomfortable, stop running on machine and rest for few minutes to avoid serious problems.

Data:

Running on a treadmill, you know exactly how far you have gone, how much you have climbed and so on. You can pair your workout with a heart rate monitor and duplicate a specific workout periodically. It is definitely a great way to measure you progress.

In the end, running on the treadmill is not a bad idea, give it a try. Take your treadmill training to the next level and reap the benefits.