The Running Thread - 2026

[SheHulk]

my mental tip is to get a new tablet. If you're going to do a lot of treadmill running, a $100 something that you can either download a show onto or get on wifi, it's a very small investment that will last actual years.

Ah I see how it is! DH just informed me we have a newer one that is just sitting in a drawer. If that's the key, then I'll try it.

 

[DianaMB333]

last year I did my marathon simulation (Galloway) in treadmill.. only 7 hrs… so the tablet, the tv and podcasts helped a lot..

After that, everything seems so doable!! LOL

 

[SheHulk]

last year I did my marathon simulation (Galloway) in treadmill.. only 7 hrs… so the tablet, the tv and podcasts helped a lot..

After that, everything seems so doable!! LOL

 

[SheHulk]

I do 90% or more of my training on a treadmill. I don't mind it at all, actually. And same with our forecast, so it's a good thing I'm ok with it. I've been saving the Elizabeth Smart documentary to watch today during my long run (before football starts).

First order of business will be watching that documentary.

 

[GollyGadget]

I'm sure this is character-building too

This reminds me of a work situation a few years ago. I had a very difficult colleague and my manager kept reminding me this was going to be a great situation to reference in interviews .

As for treadmill tips, I usually vary my pace so I have something to look forward to every half mile. Don’t know why but counting down until the next button press makes the time go by faster

 

[SheHulk]

This reminds me of a work situation a few years ago. I had a very difficult colleague and my manager kept reminding me this was going to be a great situation to reference in interviews .

As for treadmill tips, I usually vary my pace so I have something to look forward to every half mile. Don’t know why but counting down until the next button press makes the time go by faster

I do this! Speed and incline actually.

 

[The Expert]

First order of business will be watching that documentary.

I worked in news in Salt Lake City when that all happened, and the doc was very well done -- comprehensive, accurate, and quite moving. Elizabeth is really a remarkable human who has helped so many people, and she's a fellow runner and pretty fast marathoner!

 

[avondale]

my mental tip is to get a new tablet. If you're going to do a lot of treadmill running, a $100 something that you can either download a show onto or get on wifi, it's a very small investment that will last actual years.

Absolutely this - watch something. And the thing that distracts you best is different for everyone. Lots of folks have been talking about watching race broadcast/recordings or documentaries. That would not distract me at all. I usually watch TV/streaming episodes of something, but for me the best distraction is a movie. Just blew through a two-hour treadmill walk with a James Bond movie and nearly lost track of time. So find what is best for you.

The tablet can also potentially cover up the pace/time, etc so you don't keep staring at it.

My biggest hack for when using a gym treadmill: they usually have shelf or ledge for a tablet, but I find that mine slips off when the treadmill starts vibrating with motion. Get one of those sticky doilies - the kind that use to be popular to put inside kitchen shelves to set dishes on - and put it under your tablet to hold it in place. (Not sure if "sticky doily" will be descriptive enough. )

 

[avondale]

Don’t know why but counting down until the next button press makes the time go by faster

This was something I learned from a friend in high school. In a boring class, she would write down the times of the class period in 5-minute increments and then cross them out as they went by - definitely made a class go faster! Same principle....just breaking a longer time period into smaller ones. But it works!

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I do 90% or more of my training on a treadmill. I don't mind it at all, actually. And same with our forecast, so it's a good thing I'm ok with it. I've been saving the Elizabeth Smart documentary to watch today during my long run (before football starts).

I have a hard time watching stuff like that. I wind up thinking about what I'd do if in that situation, or worrying about if it happened to a family member. OTOH, the DW watches nearly every crime show there is. Given that, I still don't know how we ever managed to have a first date....

 

[PrincessV]

I despise using the treadmill. Even though I bought a new one recently and it’s very nice and protects me from lightning… I HATE using it. I want to be outdoors in nature! When forced onto it, my hacks for survival are:

YouTube scenery - virtual trail runs, trail race docs, etc.
Breaking it up in myriad ways, from random inclines to hopping off to do a few sit-ups or push ups, to switching to the indoor bike a few minutes.
Going by time instead of distance or pace - I know my treadmill is wrong, anyway, and just walking or running as I feel like it instead of prescribed intervals feels less irritating.

 

[Kerry1957]

I used to really hate using a treadmill, but this winter I have grown to only dislike it. My rescue was using my DD's shared Peleton account. I can stream workouts to my phone (or ipad) with sound direct to my hearing aids at my health club. Peleton has thousands of treadmill workouts in the 30-45-60+ minute range with lots of music options. Many also flash your target speed and incline based on a 1-10 scale you can set. The instructors/leaders are quite good and usually entertaining and motivating.

No substitute for a partly sunny 65 degree day out on the trails, but that won't happen for a few more months

 

[accm]

I got a Peloton treadmill a few years ago, and it's been a game changer. It's far from cheap, but I've found having an instructor that's also running to be a better mind distraction than watching a TV show/movie.

At this point most of my runs are actually on the treadmill, since I can only run after my kids are in bed, and I don't feel comfortable running outside in the dark.

 

[The Expert]

The iFit content is why I bought my Proform, and I love it (same company as Nordictrac)! They have instructors who do series and races around the world. I've climbed Mount Everest, run through Vietnam, hiked Scotland, and run the Boston, London, Berlin, New York and Chicago marathons all from my treadmill!

 

[5xdisneyfans]

The iFit content is why I bought my Proform, and I love it (same company as Nordictrac)! They have instructors who do series and races around the world. I've climbed Mount Everest, run through Vietnam, hiked Scotland, and run the Boston, London, Berlin, New York and Chicago marathons all from my treadmill!

I have the same kind. I use it more for walk and hike because I don’t find many runs that fit my training so I usually end up using manual for runs. I wish the had just virtual runs on there with no trainer but still did all the inclining with the scenery.

 

[The Expert]

I wish the had just virtual runs on there with no trainer but still did all the inclining with the scenery.

I think these are coming back! They just released the Chicago Marathon with no trainer maybe a month ago. I haven't tried it yet, but have it saved to my favs for when I'm in the thick of training for Chicago this summer.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Follow up on my Shokz.
They are just over 4 years old, so well past warranty.
I was thinking that since they had refurbed headsets on their website, that they may do repairs. Seems not.
After dealing with their chat bot and customer "help" help person that was only marginally helpful, they sent me a discount code for a new product. Fair enough. I'm going to try the OpenFits and see how they do, and will report accordingly.