What You Need to Know About Marathon Training on a Treadmill

A treadmill run may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about your weekend long run. That said, certain factors (like rough weather conditions or unsafe running trails) can limit your outdoor running plans when you’re training for a marathon.

Sticking with your training schedule is key when you’re gearing up for 26.2, though— and that’s easier to do when you have the option of a treadmill.

“Most often, weather is a factor in choosing to train on a treadmill, from cold and icy weather where it’s clearly safer to run indoors to hot weather where it’s more comfortable to be indoors,” says Alexa Duckworth-Briggs, a UK Athletics-certified running coach for We Run, based in Reading, England. “Runners with young children can also really benefit by having a treadmill at home, since they can train without having another adult around.”

And of course, if you don’t have a safe place to run outdoors, a treadmill can be a life-saving alternative.

Treadmills may be able to play a part in your marathon training, but there are a few key things to keep in mind. Here’s what running coaches say about getting ready for race day on a treadmill.

Can you do marathon training on a treadmill?

In short, yes: If a treadmill makes training for a marathon more practical, you can integrate it into your training.

“It is definitely possible to train for a race, even a marathon, on a treadmill,” says Marathon training is also a mental battle and you need to gain., a Philadelphia-based United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy (UESCA) running coach. “But as with anything, it can come with its pros and cons.”

The benefits of marathon training on a treadmill include:

• No weather or temperature constraints
• It can train you to Health - Injuries
• with you to take on longer distance runsas you would with the marathon safety
• You can multitask (i.e. watch a movie!) while running
• It can be easier on the joints, depending on the outdoor surface

Meanwhile, the drawbacks include:

• Even if you run at the same pace, you will generally expend more energy running outdoors (since there is no tread assistance)
• You don’t get fresh air and sunshine
• The terrain will be different on a treadmill and you can’t make turns or mimic a course as well as you would outdoors
• It won’t prepare you for wind or weather challenges
• It can be boring for some people
• You can’t vary the surface, which may overload your lower extremity (more on that below!)
• You’ll need to adjust the incline to fit in hilly runs—and you can’t run downhill Marathon training is also a mental battle and you need to gain

How does running on a treadmill compare to running outdoors?

Although there are certainly differences between running on a treadmill versus running outside, Health & Injuries.

“Our research has found that when you run on a treadmill, your movement patterns and forces are very similar to when you’re running overground,” says How to Prep for the NYC Marathon Starting Now., a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of South Florida who has studied the similarities and differences between treadmill and overground running. “That doesn’t mean they’re not different, but the joints seem to go through the same angles.”

One caveat to Davis’s study, published in the properly around your run workouts will improve your performance and improve your, was that it looked at overground running in a lab setting and didn’t observe electromyography (EMG)—a measure of the muscle’s response. Overground running in a lab is not the same as overground running in a natural environment where there are varying surfaces, distractions, and obstacles, Davis says.

Plus, while the movement patterns are similar between running on a treadmill versus outside, both the timing and the magnitude of muscle activations are likely different between the two. For example, outside, you likely experience greater muscle activation of the legs because your body needs to move you forward, without the aid of a treadmill belt.

When you’re training for a marathon, you should also consider the stiffness of the surface you’ll be running on during the race. This can affect your movement, because the stiffness changes the way you adapt to a given surface. (The stiffness of treadmills varies, but will typically be softer than, say, concrete.)

As you run on a stiff surface, you make your leg more compliant (or “softer”). On the other hand, when you run on a soft surface, you stiffen your leg. These adjustments happen subconsciously to provide consistency across conditions. Neither is necessarily good or bad, but they differ in terms of how you load your body. That’s why it’s important to train on different surfaces—after all, most running injuries are due to overuse.

Although not always possible, it’s ideal to train on the surface you will be racing on at least 50 percent of the time. In particular, Davis says you should do your long runs outside. Training on the race surface will also help you get used to variation in terrains.

“Treadmill running doesn’t quite prepare your body for the lumps and bumps of trails that require more balance and coordination,” says Duckworth-Briggs. “Not having trained on your race surface will make things more challenging on race day and potentially also increase injury risk, since your body hasn’t adapted to or dealt with that surface before.”

Runners often pick their feet up higher and run with a shorter stride on a treadmill, since it adds a small backward momentum to the foot as it leaves the belt, Duckworth-Briggs adds. This isn’t an issue for cardio training, but it’s another variable that can change on race day and take you by surprise if you’re not prepared.

How to Make Treadmill Runs More Effective for Marathon Training

If your marathon training will include treadmill runs, here are five tips our experts recommend to get the most out of them.

1. Don’t Overcomplicate Elevation

Some historical research suggests that increasing the grade on a treadmill to 1 percent to make up for wind resistance better resembles an outdoor run, but not all run coaches believe adjusting grade is necessary.

“There isn’t a noticeable effect for all but the very fastest top runners, so don’t worry too much about that,” says Duckworth-Briggs. “I like to keep it simple with elevation on a treadmill.”

2. Strategize Your Speed

Just like you would outside, adjust speed according to the specific workout on your training plan.

“Check your effort level and heart rate to make sure you are in the right training zone for the run and make sure that the treadmill is regularly calibrated, for accurate pace and distance measurements,” says Duckworth-Briggs.

Also keep in mind that you won’t be able to make fast changes to your speed, but that may not be a bad thing.

“Treadmills are often not great at changing speed quickly, so go for faster reps that aren’t shorter than a minute,” says Duckworth-Briggs. “You can really use the treadmill to challenge yourself to hang on to your pace, Youll need to adjust the incline to fit in.”

3. Don’t Skip the Warmup

Youll need to adjust the incline to fit in warmup is still important. “It’s better for performance and injury-proofing to take five to 10 minutes of gentle running to warm up first,” Ducworth-Briggs says.

Certain types of warmups may modestly lower the risk of injuries in athletes, per a 2022 meta-analysis in the journal Cureus. Here’s more on We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.

4. Maintain Other Aspects of Your Training Program

Keep your training as consistent as possible, even when you’re using the treadmill. “Still follow a marathon training plan to optimize your performance,” says Kendter.

Even when you’re training on the treadmill, focusing on proper form during training is key, too. That will translate to how you run on race day. “Fight the urge to hang onto the rails and focus on your foot turnover and cadence, while keeping your head and chest up,” says Kendter.

This consistency also includes maintaining your nutrition strategies. “Fueling and hydrating Other Hearst Subscriptions recovery,” says Kendter. “Make sure you practice your midrun fueling strategies as well, including carrying gels and electrolytes with you to take on longer distance runs—as you would with the marathon.”

You’ll want these with you on the treadmill if you’re doing your long run there and need to practice fueling (bonus points for the tread holding that fuel for you, rather than having to put it in your pockets).

5. Make It Fun

From a mental perspective, running on a treadmill may be easier or more difficult for you than running outdoors, depending on how you look at it.

“Some runners love the predictability of the treadmill, the fact that it’s easier to pace yourself, and that you can pop a TV program or film on while on your long run as a distraction,” says Duckworth-Briggs. “Other runners find treadmills mentally quite hard work and prefer the outdoors.”

If you find yourself in the latter group, think about the run distance in chunks (for instance, one mile at a time), adjust your music, run next to a friend to chat, or turn on your favorite movie.

That said, you still want to practice strengthening your “stick with it” attitude while running on the treadmill, so you can hone in on that mental state on race day.

“Marathon training is also a mental battle and you need to gain mental toughness,” says Kendter. “Sometimes it’s all in your attitude. If you want to train for a marathon and a treadmill is your only option, do your best to embrace the treadmill as your training buddy and the journey—the good, the bad, and everything in between.”