Read on the treadmill. Wanna learn?
I seem to have a special talent.
I can read magazines and run for miles on the treadmill.
Whenever I mention this in blog posts or in real life, people say “I don’t know how you can read and run on the treadmill at the same time!”
Maybe it’s not for everyone but I might as well provide a few helpful tips for those that are interested in learning this magic skill.
1. Pick a Fluffy Read.
Don’t try reading The Economist on the treadmill. My go-tos include: People (favorite!), Glamour, Self, Shape, Runner’s World and Women’s Fitness. They usually include lists, colors, boxes of text and easy to read articles. Your eyes can bounce around and not lose too much.
2. Run on a Treadmill with a stable holder and proper height.
There are some treadmills with a lowered magazine holder. If it’s not the right height, you can read it and it makes it harder to flip. Most good gyms have a treadmill with the right holder but you gotta find it for this to work!
3. Run on a Decent Treadmill to avoid shaking!
Cheap treadmills just won’t cut it. I’ve run on them and they suck! I can usually last about a mile — magazine or not — so don’t even think about it. Usually you need something that’s at LEAST $1,000 or more.
4. Read Slowly
No speed reading on the tread. Slowly reading through feature articles — like the long ones in Runner’s World — gets me through quite a chunk. You have to concentrate and it takes your mind off the running.
No speed reading on the tread. Slowly reading through feature articles — like the long ones in Runner’s World — gets me through quite a chunk. You have to concentrate and it takes your mind off the running.
5. Find Your Breathing Rhythm
Reading on the treadmill is not for a tempo run or speed drills. This is for the long, slow run or even the short, neutral one. Fall into a comfortable pace, feel the rhythm and read.
Reading on the treadmill is not for a tempo run or speed drills. This is for the long, slow run or even the short, neutral one. Fall into a comfortable pace, feel the rhythm and read.
6. Be Patient and the Time Will Fly
Great thing about mags? They cover up the time and distance buttons. Keep those things covered because it will never be as far enough along as you want it to be. Generally, I don’t check time/distance until I’ve fully read through and entire magazine. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at that point.
Great thing about mags? They cover up the time and distance buttons. Keep those things covered because it will never be as far enough along as you want it to be. Generally, I don’t check time/distance until I’ve fully read through and entire magazine. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at that point.
Some have asked how many miles I get through reading a magazine. Typically, it’s about 1 hour of running so for me, around 7 miles. A really long magazine, like a double issue of People or Marie Claire can be stretched to 10 miles though I’ve never gone over that.
Can you read on the treadmill?
What do you like to read?
Anyone read books on the tread? I haven’t mastered that one!
Other tips to get through long treadmill runs?