I generally dislike training on a treadmill. I can’t think of a reason I’d rather sprint indoors over being in the open air under the stars or sun. That said, we stress flexibility around here. From time to time, we get forced indoors. When we have no choice, the belt provides ample opportunity to build speed and power and burn fat.

This morning, I woke up to some much appreciated hydrating Phoenix rain. As I type, it’s pitch black outside and for that reason, unsafe to mob the streets of Glendale as I had planned. From livestrong.com:

Treadmills have a way of keeping your pace steady, guiding your gait and absorbing shock when your feet hit the belt. It’s no wonder that when you get outside, running feels much harder. Treadmills are a go-to when it’s too cold or wet outside or if your knees or joints can’t take the impact the road supplies. Running on a treadmill instead of the road cuts your risk of stress fractures and other injuries up to 50 percent, according to 3FatChicks.com.

Ummm, consider the source? Moving on.

Sure, I could get after it on the pavement but health optimization and skin shredded by gravel don’t exactly mix well. I’ll go hit the Woodway and report back. Standby for my spontaneous workout.

• 2% incline, speed 11, 10 seconds
• 3% incline, speed 12, 10 seconds
• 4% incline, speed 13, 10 seconds
• 5% incline, speed 14, 10 seconds
• 6% incline, speed 15, 9 seconds
• 7% incline, speed 15, 9 seconds
• 8% incline, speed 15, 8 seconds
• 9% incline, speed 15, 7 seconds
• 10% incline, speed 15, 7 seconds
• 11% incline, speed 15, 7 seconds
• 12% incline, speed 15, 6 seconds
• 13% incline, speed 15, 6 seconds
• 14% incline, speed 15, 5 seconds
• 15% incline, speed 15, 5 seconds
• 16% incline, speed 15, 5 seconds
• 17% incline, speed 15, 5 seconds
• 18% incline, speed 15, 4 seconds
• 19% incline, speed 15, 4 seconds
• 20% incline, speed 15, 4 seconds
• 21% incline, speed 15, 4 seconds
• 22% incline, speed 15, 3 seconds
• 23% incline, speed 15, 3 seconds
• 25% incline, speed 15, 5 seconds (assisted)
• 25% incline, speed 15, 5 seconds (assisted)

I rested roughly 45 seconds between sets, always to near full recovery. You’ve been following the blog for some time, so you understand that we train for maximum speed and power rather than endurance. While I have tremendous respect for distance runners, the aim around here is laying down lean tissue, not breaking it up. We’ve mused about this concept plenty in past posts. What we haven’t waxed on in particular is the hill sprint’s propensity to improve stride length. From livestrong.com:

According to coach Hudson, hill sprint workouts also “increase the power and efficiency of the stride,” developing your ability to cover more ground with the same number of strides. Hill sprints build muscle strength that comes in handy in race situations. They foster optimal muscle efficiency, speed and resistance to muscular fatigue.

Back to the treadmill. I must say, today’s session was fairly gentle on my body. The machine’s belt has some spring and a pillowy nature relative to my normal concrete or asphalt smashing. In general, I prefer the grimy. I’ll generally choose the rigid ride of a sports car. That doesn’t mean I won’t appreciate and graciously accept the gift of a trip in the Rolls.

As always, we encourage multiple means to an end. One way may not be better, but we have to make a choice. Ivan Drago had the cutting edge technology and trained hard. He emerged in phenomenal shape. Rocky took an axe and blasted away at a bunch of logs in the snow, then proceeded to beat the bigger man down.

Strong mind,

Kap