There will come a time for every runner where for one reason or another, they need to step on the dreadmill (ahem, I mean treadmill). I have never been a fan of this tortuous device. After all, one of the reasons I feel in love with running in the first place was to get outside and closer to nature. However, when you are snowed in or travel to an area that you don’t know (or might not be the safest place to run), the treadmill is sometimes the only option.

This past week I found myself in this situation. I was staying at a hotel near UC Davis Medical Center, where my mom was undergoing surgery. If you know the area around UC Davis, you know it is not advisable for a 30-something-year-old-girl (or anyone for that matter) to go for a solo run. Knowing that I have the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey coming up in a few months, I had to find a way to get my miles in. This left me with one option, that awful, never-ending, conveyor belt, torture machine. (Fun fact: Did you know that treadmills were invented as a way to torture prisoners?)

So, what does one do to spice up those dreaded treadmill workouts? Below are some of the workouts I have found to both be effective and help the time pass.

TV Commercial Fartlek 

The word that make most people giggle and my personal favorite. If you are watching a TV show with commercials while on the treadmill, this is a fun way to mix it up in an unpredictable way. Warm up first for 10 minutes and then set into an easy jog. Every time a commercial break comes on, increase the pace by 1.0 – 2.0 mph. When the commercial break is over, resume to your normal pace.

Intervals 

These can either be run-walk intervals or run-jog intervals depending on your fitness level. Warm up and then pick a distance or a time for your hardest effort and about half of that for your recovery. For example, I will run at 6.0 mph for .25 miles and then jog at 4.5 mph for .15 miles. I will repeat this as many times as necessary to get my target miles. Note: this is also easily adaptable to hill workouts. Instead of increasing speed, you would increase the incline of the treadmill.

Pyramid

Also similar to intervals, in a pyramid workout you would gradually increase the duration or intensity of your hard effort during each interval. Once you are halfway to your target miles, you would decrease the duration or intensity gradually until complete. Think of your intervals becoming longer to the top of the pyramid and then getting shorter coming back down the other side.

By adding some regular variety to the otherwise mundane treadmill run, you will find that time goes by much more quickly and it is a great way to increase fitness. If you have other good treadmill workout ideas, please share in the comments below.