Runners — a group of people accustomed to bloody nipples, blackened toenails and midroute diarrhea — seem to become embarrassed by only one thing: treadmills.
“They say, ‘I can’t get on one.’ There’s this shame,” says David Siik, creator of the new Precision Running program at Equinox, a Washington-area gym. He has plenty of reasons athletes should get over their hang-up: Treadmills are gentler on the joints than unforgiving sidewalks, they allow groups of different abilities to run “together,” and they make it possible for a coach to monitor an athlete for every step of a run. His absolute favorite thing about treadmills? “You can calculate anything — it’s like running on a computer,” Siik says.
But to get the most out of the info and experience, you have to use the technology correctly, he adds. Here’s his list of treadmill don’ts:
• Don’t show up without a plan. Playing it by ear is a recipe for an ineffective workout, Siik says. Even if you’re not able to complete what you set out to do, you’ll wind up better equipped for next time. “I’ve learned from my mistakes,” Siik says.
