Running in place
Most runners dread training for races on treadmills. This couple would rather do it indoors.
Many runners revile training on treadmills so much they curse them as “dreadmills,” resorting to their grinding monotony only when it’s too cold, hot, snowy or rainy to brave the elements outside.
But Brian and Monica Folts decided long ago that it makes more sense for them to hop on those remorseless machines, punch “Start,” select a running pace to their liking and pound out the miles rather than take time to get in a car and drive somewhere to run.
They’d rather spend that time running.
They have used treadmills to train for dozens of marathons, Ironman triathlons and Pikes Peak races, and they are fast. Monica won the Denver Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon in 2014 and the Colfax Half Marathon in 2017. Both are potential winners Sunday in the half marathons associated with the Colfax Marathon, which is set to attract in excess of 15,000 runners across all races (marathon, half marathon, 10-miler and marathon relays).
Brian and Monica were already avid runners when they met in 2012. He was wed to the treadmill and she soon joined him. They were married at the Honolulu Marathon in 2013.
“I jumped on the Folts training program, feet first, for better or for worse,” Monica said.
The need to squeeze as much free time as possible into training was one reason Brian began doing most of his running on treadmills.
“When I first started it, it was because I would get up in the morning to run, I’d be a mile or two in and have to go to the bathroom,” Brian said. “Since I didn’t want to waste time before work, I just figured I’d run on the treadmill, and if I had to go, I’m set.
“That kept snowballing. I kept coming up with other situations where it was less time wasted. I’m like, ‘Hey, just run the treadmill.’ Time is everything.”
Brian also noticed the treadmill offered a training benefit because of the pace control it offered. Running the proper pace in training and racing is critical in maximizing a marathon or triathlon.
“I used to struggle to break 1:20 for the half marathon,” Bri- an said. “As I would do treadmill, I noticed it would be easier to break 1:20, then barriers kept falling. Back then, the (GPS) watch technology wasn’t as good for pacing.”
Monica noticed the same thing.
“I see it as the ultimate pacemaker,” Monica said. “It’s going to keep you accountable if you want to go a certain pace. The longer you can push that pace and hold that pace, the easier it will be in the race.”
When they’re not running, the Folts each have jobs in downtown Denver. Brian is a software engineer for a telecommunications company and Monica is an accountant for an oil company. They used to run for 60 to 90 minutes before work on his-and-hers treadmills in the basement of their home in Lakewood — with Jimmy Fallon or Grey’s Anatomy playing on a TV via DVR — before commuting to work on bikes.
Last year, they downsized, sold the treadmills and moved to LoDo, so now they do most of their running at the Colorado Athletic Club.
But not all the equipment is gone: They have bike trainers set up in the dining room of their downtown condo for when they’re not at indoor cycling classes.
“Commuting on the bike was getting less like a workout and more like a chore — a lot of dog walkers (in the way),” Brian said. “I didn’t want to be that guy, ‘On your left!’ blowing by them.”
“We’ve also had a lot of people we’ve known who have gotten hit by cars on the bike,” Monica added.
The year they met, Brian did five Ironman triathlons, each consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike leg and a marathon run (26.2 miles). Monica initially thought doing Ironmans was “crazy” and impossible for her, but she soon changed her mind. That year she did a sprint triathlon in March, an Olympic-distance tri in May, a half Ironman in June and a full Ironman in November.
“I love to compete and I love to push myself,” Monica said. “Not every race is sweet. There are some races that leave you humbled and hobbling for longer than you’d like, but when you have a breakthrough or an amazing race that you will always remember, there’s nothing better. All the work and the sacrifice, people may think you’re crazy, but it is a lifestyle. I’ve crossed the finish line and cried because of times when I couldn’t believe I was able to do it. You didn’t think it was possible, and then you prove yourself wrong. Those are the moments I live for.”