Did you know that treadmills were invented as a way to punish prisoners? It makes total sense, doesn’t it? Maybe you don’t like the mindlessness of it. Maybe you fell off one and now you have distress whenever you look at a treadmill. Fortunately, with modern technology, the treadmill is a blessing… no wait, sorry I can’t say that without laughing. Nobody in their right mind likes the treadmill; it’s a necessary evil for people who like (need) to run and hate cold weather, rain, bugs, cars, dogs, or people.
I confess I run on the treadmill. I actually prefer to run outdoors but not during the winter. As such, I keep an eye out for ways to keep things fresh.
I found this article at triathlete.com. Even if you’re not a triathlete (yet!!) I recommend you check them out for training, gear reviews and race info.
4 Treadmill Sessions For Triathletes
Four purposeful workouts to help you use the treadmill to your training advantage.
Whether you’re waiting for cooler weather to arrive or simply need more of a focus indoors, the treadmill is a useful tool to maximize your run training. Coach Brad Seng of D3 Multisport in Boulder, Colo., designed these quality sessions to keep the fun factor intact for when the treadmill gets daunting or mentally stale.
Buffer Buffs Hill Reps
Warm-up
15’ easy jogging with 4×20’’ bursts and 40’’ easy for recovery at the end
Main set
Repeat the following pattern 3–4 times. Do the strength exercises off to the side of the treadmill.
45’’ hard Zone 3–4/5K effort at 4–6% grade
5 squat jumps
15’’ sprint Zone 5 at 4–6% grade.
20 high knee skips
45’’ moderate Zone 2–3/half-marathon effort at 4–6% grade
10 push-ups
45’’ fast uphill Zone 3/10K effort at 4–6% grade
10 split squat jumps
45’’ moderate Zone 2–3/half-marathon effort at 1% grade
10 double leg hops
1:30 fast Zone 3/10K effort at 1% grade
Walk 2–3’ or stand on edge of treadmill to recover
Cool-down
10’ easy jogging with final 2–3’ walking
Key: ’ = minutes | ” = seconds
Ramp-Ups
Warm-up
15–20’ building effort to top of Zone 2/RPE 3–5
Main set
Starting at the speed where you ended your warm-up, increase treadmill speed by 0.5 every quarter-mile until you max out.
Note that speed and then run 5’ easy.
Complete 4–6 × 45’’ intervals at your max. Recovery is 1’ easy jogging.
Cool-down
Easy jogging for remainder of time
Key: ’ = minutes | ” = seconds
1’ Efforts + 1K
Warm-up
10–15’ easy with 4×20’’ bursts and 40’’ easy jogging for recovery
Main set
2x(4×1’ moderate/RPE 3–7 with 30’’ rest after each. Include 1K at 5–10K pace after #4 of each set).
Walk/jog easy for 2-3’ between sets.
Cool-down
5-10’ easy
Key: ’ = minutes | ” = seconds
Split Tempo Run
Warm-up
15’ easy jogging
Main set
10’ Zone 2/RPE 3–5
5’ Zone 3/RPE 6–8
2’ Zone 1/RPE 1–2
5’ Zone 3/RPE 6–8
Cool-down
10–20’ easy
Key: ’ = minutes | ” = seconds
Seng’s Treadmill Tips
– Set treadmill at a 1 percent grade for all runs aside from any specific hill reps. This will ensure you are running closer to the feel of running outdoors.
– Always have a towel and water or electrolyte drink on hand with increased sweat rate.
– If possible, use a small fan to help keep you cooler and more comfortable, and be sure you have good ventilation.
– Don’t “race” your neighbor. Stick to your specific workout and don’t worry about what speed or grade the person next to you is running.
– Include some light stretching after your warm-up and a few minutes of easy walking as a cool-down before you get off the treadmill to re-establish your equilibrium.
cultural atheist 
You are so right about the treadmill being hard to adjust too. Didn’t realize it was developed to torment prisoners but could see their effectiveness, lol. They are kind of the same as those little indoor running tracks. When I got off them I felt all wound up.
How much running do you do?
Started in High School but got serious in my early 20’s and began to dive into it. Started with the 5k’s then progressed to the 10k and 20k’s before launching out to the marathon level. Ran the races with the Greg Myers, Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers era. Then got into the triathlons. I’m not running that much anymore because I want to keep my knees and the tread mill like you said is torture. Now, I’m into the weight lifting. Trying to stay healthy as my goal is to reach 100 and not drinking out of a sippy straw…. God willing. How bout you?
I used to run like the wind. Then I started to cycle, then I got a car… I started running again in 2015. I get various issues when I run but so far I’ve done 10k. I just do triathlons now but I have thought about a half-marathon. The thing is, Canadians typically don’t do anything half-way.
LOL. I can relate being French Canadian myself. We go for it all don’t we.
Whaaat?? I thought you were American. Not that I held that against you.
A full American with ancestry from another country, lol. Never had the need to identify my ancestors Country of birth, lol. Love the way I we can tell someone is from Canada by the “ay” after their sentences.