Treadmill Pushing the Limits

I spent quite a bit of time on the treadmill this week working on some goals. I have a huge project I'm trying to put together involving an extreme endurance challenge in a remote and inhospitable environment that is really exciting to me, and forms the basis of my current goals for mileage, speed, and vertical. Keep tuned for a notice about it on Kickstarter. I'm really excited. Have I said that already?

Here are some of my goals for this week:

• Increase inclination angle while maintaining speed
• Increase speed, this week shoot for average > 5.0 MPH
• Get in more speed at 16% (light jogging as per Kilian)
• Minimum 25.0 Miles for the week

I can't do that outside right now, since the best I can average in loose snow is around 14:00 pace. My goals require that I absolutely stick to this schedule so the treadmill is the best way to do it.

While calculating all of this, and in the stats listed below, I use my Incline Treadmill Calculator. I recommend you go visit and use it too. It's a great way to know exactly what's going on with your training. Remember:

If you can't measure it you can't manage it.

This is the same calculator I used when putting together my Summit Success: Training for Hiking.. manual. I have it for sale right now in paperback, autographed, and tossing in three free additional training and diet manuals if you want some great resources to achieve your goals faster, better, and more efficiently. CLICK HERE FOR SPECIAL OFFER

Bored of the treadmill?

It's interesting mental as well as physical training, for sure. I normally have my Kindle propped up on the console. My treadmill unfortunately didn't come with a reading stand attached. I think it was a $100 option and I can't find those cool plastic clamps anymore like they used to sell in all the sports discount stores. So I had a spare dishwasher part hanging around that I was able to rig up quickly to make a stand for my Kindle on the console.

I have Amazon Prime so I can just watch free stuff on the treadmill. Subtitles are a little tough on the mind when running at the Anaerobic Threshold and it's hard to concentrate. Otherwise, like I mentioned in my Forward to "My Sweet Infected" I love to watch Anime while working out. You know some heart thumping mecha action is great during sprints, right? Each to his own I guess.

That alleviates most forms of boredom.

Go ahead and comment below if you have any different boredom fighting techniques that work for you. I'd love to hear about it.

Here is my training log from this week:

Treadmill stats from my private blog:

Monday 17th
ITM:
Time: 42:00
Distance: 3.081
Incline: 1%
Elevation Gain: 162.68'
Average MPH: 4.401
Average Pace: 13:38
Vertical/Hour: 232'
Vertical/Minute: 3.87'
VAM: 70.8

Tuesday 18th
ITM:
Time: 29:00
Distance: 2.511
Incline: 1%
Elevation Gain: 132.58'
Average MPH: 5.195
Average Pace: 11:33
Vertical/Hour: 274'
Vertical/Minute: 4.57'
VAM: 83.6

ITM:
Time: 34:03
Distance: 3.019
Incline: 1%
Elevation Gain: 159.40'
Average MPH: 5.32
Average Pace: 11:17
Vertical/Hour: 281'
Vertical/Minute: 4.68'
VAM: 85.6

Wednesday 19th
ITM:
Time: 58:02
Distance: 5.021
Incline: 1%
Elevation Gain: 265.11'
Average MPH: 5.191
Average Pace: 11:33
Vertical/Hour: 274'
Vertical/Minute: 4.57'
VAM: 83.5

ITM:
Time: 13:41
Distance: .706
Incline: 16%
Elevation Gain: 596.43'
Average MPH: 3.096
Average Pace: 19:23
Vertical/Hour: 2615'
Vertical/Minute: 43.59'
VAM: 797.1

Thursday 20th
ITM:
Time: 60:01
Distance: 5.225
Incline: 1.5%
Elevation Gain: 413.82'
Average MPH: 5.224
Average Pace: 11:29
Vertical/Hour: 414'
Vertical/Minute: 6.9'
VAM: 126.1

ITM:
Time: 14:00
Distance: .815
Incline: 16%
Elevation Gain: 688.51'
Average MPH: 3.493
Average Pace: 17:11
Vertical/Hour: 2951'
Vertical/Minute: 49.18'
VAM: 899.4

Friday 21st
ITM:
Time: 62:04
Distance: 5.253
Incline: 1.5%
Elevation Gain: 416.04'
Average MPH: 5.078
Average Pace: 11:49
Vertical/Hour: 402'
Vertical/Minute: 6.7'
VAM: 122.6

Miles This Week: 25.631
Vertical This Week: 2824.57'