During a Sunday snowstorm in NYC a couple of years back, I had a long run on my calendar. Rather than battle the ice and snow outside, I shuffled downstairs to my apartment gym. For the next 90 minutes, I flipped through TV channels, music playlists, podcasts – anything to get my mind off the boredom.

It sucked.

I had been an off-and-on treadmill user my entire running life, but the pain of that particular long run turned me off for a while. Mentally, I was completely over them.

It was only while attending treadmill studio classes like Barry Bootcamp’s and Mile High Run Club that I saw another way. Treadmill running could not only help me get fitter and faster, but it could also be…fun?

The secret to loving the treadmill? Using treadmills for interval training.

HIIT On the Treadmill

Fitness trainers everywhere laud the effectiveness of HIIT workouts: high-intensity interval training. The aim of HIIT is to get your heart rate very high, putting you into an anabolic state (and increasing your post-workout metabolism) and then resting.

You may have heard of Tabata workouts; this is the same idea. Short intense bursts of work followed by a short rest.

I had done a lot of HIIT workouts that require a seemingly endless number of burpees and jump squats. (And by the end I hate everything and everyone.)

It wasn’t until much later that I realized I could jump on a treadmill, bang out some sprint intervals, follow that up with a short weight-lifting session and get all the same benefits as a dreaded HIIT session.

Treadmill Benefits

If you’re already a runner and you care about building endurance and getting faster and stronger, treadmill interval training can take you to the next level. With a treadmill, pace setting becomes exact. There’s no excuse for not running intervals at the precise tempo.

As someone prone to shin splints and tight calves, interval training on a treadmill has helped me stay healthy for two reasons.

First, because I’m not running as long a time or distance.

Second, because the rubber tread on treadmills has more cushioning than pavement. Treadmills are designed to absorb some of the impact of your movement. When you run on a concrete sidewalk or road, your joints take all the impact.

Treadmills are also handy for hill training. If you live in a flat area, you can supplement your training with a hill interval workout that will build your endurance and leg muscles.

End Boredom

Although I do enjoy longer steady state runs, I love treadmill intervals for my “hard” workout days. The constant changing pace and incline make the minutes fly by.

I don’t have time to get bored either – nearly all my workouts these days have less than 30 minutes of running.

You can try the workout I usually do here.

When I follow my interval workouts with weight-lifting, I leave the gym feeling accomplished and energized. The workouts have made me feel both faster and stronger. I’ve built muscle tone while increasing my running endurance and speed.

But like any healthy relationship, the treadmill and I still need some space. On my easy run days, you’ll find me outside.