Treadmills offer an effective training alternative to outdoor running. The devices can be used when it is raining or too hot or humid outside to effectively or safely perform your running regimen. Treadmills confine your running to a restricted space, and users should consider their pace when training on the machines. Trying to go too fast on the spinning belt can result in falls and injuries. No one pace is right for all joggers.
Fitness Level
Some top-quality treadmills allow users to achieve speeds faster than 20 mph. This would be sprinting for most runners and not jogging. The appropriate jogging pace on a treadmill depends on the fitness level of the user. For an avid runner who is extremely fit, a casual treadmill jogging pace might be about an 8-minute mile. For the average runner, a nice jog might be in the 10- to 12-minute mile range. Runners must also consider how long their workout session will be to determine the appropriate pace. Longer jogs would be performed at a little slower pace to accumulate miles and build endurance.
Heart Rate
Monitoring your heart rate can help you determine your best pace for treadmill jogging. A decent-paced jog on a treadmill will keep your heart rate at between 65 percent and 75 percent of your maximum heart rate. To get a rough estimate of your MHR, subtract your age from 220. Multiply that result by 0.65 and by 0.75 to determine the range within which your heart rate should fall while you jog. While many treadmills have built-in heart-rate monitors, a personal heart-rate monitor will provide more accurate results.
Considerations
Many treadmills include settings that provide different incline levels for training. A greater incline requires more exertion. As you increase the incline, you will decrease the speed setting for your jog workout. For example, if you have been jogging at a 10-minute mile pace for about 10 minutes, you might then simulate a hill by bumping up the incline setting. As you do this, you would maintain the same exertion level for your jog by reducing your speed accordingly, to perhaps an 11-minute mile pace. Continue to adjust the speed and incline throughout your jog to provide variety and simulate an outdoor run on undulating road terrain.
Warning
A pace on a treadmill doesn’t necessarily translate to the same pace outdoors. A jogger who achieves a 10-minute mile on a treadmill might not be able to replicate the same pace outside on natural terrain, for example. Factors that can’t be duplicated on a treadmill, such as wind, terrain and climate, affect your pace when you jog outdoors. To offset the pace disparity, set your incline to 1 percent during your jog. The slight incline will better simulate an outdoor run.
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