Treadmill Tempo 5K

Tis the season for treadmill tempo runs!

We got some snow on Tuesday that really mucked things up. And it's been COLD ever since, so the trails and sidewalks aren't quite clear enough to run on just yet (especially hard to run FAST on them right now). So a treadmill 5K was in order on Friday morning.

I looked up some 5k mph charts to see what speed setting would equate to what 5K time, and I noted that 10.5 mph was 17:45, 10.6 mph was 17:35, and 10.7 mph was 17:25. I figured I'd be somewhere in there. But it was also to be my first HARD running since getting Covid 3 weeks ago AND my first hard treadmill workout like this since last winter, so I just wasn't sure what to expect.

I started at 10.3 mph for just 0.2 miles or so before bumping it up to 10.5 mph until about 0.8 miles into the workout. Then I bumped it up to 10.6 mph through all of mile 2, and at that point I realized I was still feeling quite good! Newsflash: you're NOT supposed to feel "quite good" at mile 2 of a 5K. So I bumped it up to 10.8 mph, then 10.9 mph, and was at 11.1 mph for the last few tenths. Here were my half-mile splits:

17:26 total 5K! (5:37/mile average pace)


HR looks pretty normal (if not on the lower side).


Yeah, I didn't "walk" and wasn't "idle" for any of that 5K. And my HR zones.


Normal/decent cadence around 180-182 throughout.
I have better (higher) cadence when I run fast, and therefore I heel-strike less.


Post-workout tweet. Oh yeah, I HAVE A YEARLY DISTANCE PR ALREADY!!!!

This has been my least injured and most consistent year of running ever! I hit 1000 miles on my long run the week of Thanksgiving (on Nov 21st), and that was only the 3rd time I'd ever hit 1000 miles - the other 2 times I did it, I hit 1000 miles a few days before Christmas about a month later (on Dec 22 in 2021 and on Dec 23 in 2012). My long run this morning put me at a yearly PR! With still 4 weeks of running to go in 2022!!

I might try this treadmill workout again in a few weeks. The "fun" thing about doing this on a treadmill is that I could dial in certain mphs from the start and have an exact finishing time planned out. I say that because if I can take 15 seconds off my time, I could tie my 13-year-old 5K PR! (YES, I know it's easier to run on a treadmill, so it's not a REAL PR, but it'd still be fun to see 17:11 again!) I feel like I can start a bit faster than I did on Friday... but I also know that the faster I start, the better chance I have of crashing and burning. It might be worth an "all or nothing" attempt in a few weeks. WE'LL SEE!!

(p.s. I can't compare these treadmill workouts to "actual" running first because it's easier to do on a treadmill where the ground moves beneath you, but also because I start these "at speed." I run 0.1 mile getting the treadmill up to speed, and then I start my watch at 0.1 mile and take half mile splits at 0.6 mile, 1.1 miles, 1.6 miles, etc. And then do an extra 0.1 to end at 3.2 miles. Not the same as outdoor running! Just a good winter workout!)