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RE: Can training on a treadmill make you faster on the road?
Wow, that’s a fantastic PR!! I am forced to that mill regularly and think I could benefit from some more structured training. My head just keeps messing with me because it’s so boring compared to being outside. Bad attitude.
Thanks. Yes, the treadmill is a pretty boring experience. That's why I started changing things up a bit.
So instead of being bored, the next time you are on the treadmill, do a warmup for a kilometer / mile and then do a full k/m with a conscious knee lift. You don't have to drive hard, just focus on lifting your knees slightly, keeping forward pressure on your hips (so you don't bend over).
Feel how that is different from your normal running. Feel the muscles working. Then for the next segment, kick your heels up a bit higher and feel how that is different.
Then crank the speed of the treadmill up to a pace that is not sustainable (nothing crazy, just faster than you think you can hold for more than about 5km/ miles. And then run it lifting your knees and kicking your heels. Try to do a full km / mile. then next time increase the distance.
The treadmill lets you do that, play around with things and discover new ways of moving your body that are more efficient / powerful.
Practice it for a couple of weeks and then hit the road / trail and do it for real. You'll then see the treadmill as a useful tool, and not boring drudgery.
I hope that helps :-)