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In general, cold-weather fitness requires a little more effort than the long, warm summer days. Instead of lacing up your sneakers and taking a three-mile walk around your neighborhood, Miles will be exposed to the unexpected. Is it too cold? Is it too dark? That’s usually where the good old treadmill comes into play.
For many people, a treadmill can be akin to a torture chamber. Is it moving? of course. But you’re not going anywhere either. A workout surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature can be transformed into something completely different when you take it to your basement or your local gym with a tripod. The good news? Treadmill training doesn’t work have With the right attitude and approach, it can be terrifying.
“Especially during the change of seasons, there will always be days when it’s not appropriate to be outside,” he says. Rebecca StoweNike running coach in New York, endorphins. “However, if you can successfully let go of any resistance you may feel to indoor sessions, you may find that it can be very mentally liberating.”
1. Get some training.
Is a treadmill different from a track? Of course. But breaking your run-up into intervals can turn your mundane routine into a slightly more enjoyable experience. Stowe recommends longer reps. “Some treadmills take a second to get up to speed, so you need the bandwidth to set it and forget it without having to change anything right away,” she says.
A good place to start is with a 10-minute warm-up, six 3-minute workouts at 10k pace (with 3-minute breaks in between), and a 10-minute cooldown.
2. Link and build.
Yes, get ready for indoor running. In our experience, this is not as common as IRL run club gatherings, but it has some great benefits. “It’s great when your friends are running at a different pace than you,” Stowe says. “You have the opportunity to connect with people you wouldn’t normally run with.”