Thursday - August 2, 2018

Hot and Humid today.  Please be careful if you're planning to train.  Dress comfortably, hydrate before, during and following your run.  If at all possible run a flat, shady route (The bike trail between Abington and Hanover, for example.)  If you have a treadmill at home, today may be the day to use it.

One of the athletes asked about using a treadmill versus running on the road or trails.  The subject came up when the athlete experienced knee pain and I learned most of his workouts were done on a treadmill. The following excerpt from active.com may interest you . . .

Indoor Versus Outdoor Running: The Differences

While there are treadmill benefits to boast of, there are still key differences runners need to be aware of between indoor and outdoor running.

Hamstrings: Because a machine powers the treadmill belt, the mechanics of your running stride differ when you run outside. When running on the treadmill, you use your quads to push off. But, unlike outdoor running, where you would typically rely on your hamstrings to finish the stride cycle and lift your leg behind you, the propulsion of the belt does much of that work for you. This means your hamstrings aren't firing as much and don't get worked running inside as they would outside. The extra effort demanded of your quads is also a factor to keep in mind.

Terrain: Or more correctly, the lack thereof. "Something that I try and keep in mind is that the treadmill is really consistent and even, but outside things are constantly changing. Each change takes energy and thought, so I remind myself not to zone out while outside and especially on trails, where a bad footfall can mean stitches and a new tooth," says the author. 

My take?  By all means, use a treadmill OCCASIONALLY when circumstances legitimately keep you indoors, but preferably you want to be outdoors where you can switch up the terrain and utilize and strengthen all the muscles you'll need for competition.  The repetitiveness of a treadmill will either result in injury or the over/under use of muscles/tendons and ligaments you'll need to develop and strengthen.

THANKS again to those who helped out at last evening's Youth Track sessions.  We heard a lot of nice things about the program and it works well because of you kids.  One of the student-athletes worked 57 hours during the past week on a physically demanding job (I can help you with that wage claim if you didn't get OT!) but showed up ready to work last night.  I am continually impressed by things you guys do for our program and I am lucky and proud to be a part of it.

Core at four today . . . Hot and Humid.  My plan is for nothing but core training in the shade of the large tree.  I hope to see you there.