TREADMILL PITFALLS TO AVOID

Similar to training in erg mode on a smart trainer, deciding the speed you are going to run in advance ignores self-selection of effort and pace, forcing you to run at the pace of the belt. Besides potentially falling off the back (use the safety cord), overstriding while struggling to keep up can lead to hamstring and calf strains – or worse.

Use incline to help make running safer and more realistic relative to the outdoors. Speeds faster than about 12.9 km/h demand at least 1 per cent incline to offset the wind resistance to create the equivalent work, and more incline is required as you get faster. Running slower than 12.9 km/h has negligible wind resistance, so incline is unnecessary.

Maintaining a 2 per cent incline forces landing under the body, minimizing form-related injury risk. This incline makes paces more difficult, so the speed of the treadmill needs to be modified to make the effort comparable. Using pace equivalents (a chart is available at hillrunner.com) and training using effort versus pace are best at incline on a treadmill.