I know I said last week that this week I would put up the rest of that article on Milk. But today I went out for a long run and it was really, really cold. I generally can't stand to run on the treadmill, but today was BRUTAL! So, I might be re-considering my hard-core always-run-outside-no-matter-what attitude and hit the treadmill. I decided this article might be good for the rest of you who might be coming to the same conclusion as the weather gets colder...grrrrr. (I'll put up the rest of that article next week I promise! )Christine

Treadmill Workouts to Keep Life Interesting

From American Running Association January 18, 2007, via www.active.com.

Rather than lying in wait in winter for the day you can again pound the pavement without ice, snow, cold or darkness compromising your runs, why not get reacquainted with your gym or at-home fitness equipment?

In addition to easing you through the winter months, treadmilling is useful because pace can be monitored very precisely; each "lap" of an interval workout will be consistent with the last. And without the unexpected encounters associated with road running, treadmilling allows you to focus on technique. To fight the tedium of these indoor workouts, try mixing things up a bit.

On the up and up

At zero incline, run for ten minutes at a comfortable pace. Set the incline to one percent and run at the same speed for a minute. Drop back to zero incline and run a minute. Raise it to two percent for a minute, then down to zero for a minute. Next raise it to three percent, then down to one percent, then up to four percent, then down to two percent -- all for a minute each. Then go up to five percent and down to three percent. Work your way back down from there: four, two, three, one, two, zero, one, zero. Finish with ten minutes of comfortable running at zero.
Total running time: 38:00 (14:00 uphill).

The short circuit

This workout combines toning exercises with running for maximum efficiency and minimal boredom. Warm up for ten minutes at an easy pace. Stop and do 10 or 20 push-ups. Get back on the treadmill and run at a moderately-hard pace for five minutes. Stop and do 30 abdominal crunches. Run for five minutes. Get off and do 20 bicycles. Run for five minutes. Stop and do another set of push-ups. Run for ten minutes hard and then cool down with a ten minute jog.
Total running time: 45:00.

TV time

For a little light entertainment, tune in to your favorite sitcom and, whenever the show is on, run at a moderately-hard pace. At a commercial break, slow the treadmill to an easy pace. Run hard again when the program returns. Repeat the pattern until the show ends. Guaranteed to break up monotony and keep you off snacks during primetime.
Total running time: 30:00.

Run to the rhythm

Prepare a CD or tape of your favorite workout songs first. You can adjust the suggested length by adding or removing music; the key is to pick songs with varied tempos. Then, while running on the treadmill, punch up or slow down the speed to match the song tempos you've recorded. Kick off the mix with ten minutes of easy listening, then insert a five minute interval at a medium pace. An optimal stride rate that minimizes stress and injury risk is one of about 180 footfalls per minute; use this as your guide for medium tempo. Next, put five minutes of music at a fast tempo, followed by eight minutes at a medium tempo. Go fast again for eight minutes worth of music, and finish off the mix with ten minutes of slower songs to cool down. You'll find the up-tempo numbers can help you sustain the faster programmed speeds.
Total running time: 46:00.

American Running Association, empowering adults to get America's youth moving. For more information or to join ARA, please visit www.americanrunning.org. Adapted from The Complete Book of Running for Women by Claire Kowalchik, Pocket Books, New York, NY, 1999, 432 pp. $16 © American Running Association, Running & FitNews 2004, Vol. 22, No. 1, p.3