Workout Ideas that Will Make You Love the Treadmill

I really dislike the cold. There is nothing I like about it, though this list which details some 50 winter activities, seems pretty awesome. At the time of writing this post, it's below freezing in New York. Consequently, most of my exercising or training is going to be done from that of the treadmill. Though it can be boring, I think a treadmill can be an effective tool for distance runners who want to train through tough, icy winters:

1. A Forgiving surface. With a treadmill you get a flat and forgiving surface, so it's great when you are experiencing aches and pains.
2. You can do fantasy workouts (in theory). You can simulate anything you want to, so it's a great way to train for an out-of-town race with challenging terrain or just to change things up. This would be great if I've signed up for a future race and knows what the terrain will look like.
3. A chance to check your form. What you can't do on the road, you can do in front of a mirror: watch yourself.
4. Safety. The treadmill is blissfully free of all of those hazards--cars, inattentive people, the wrong side of the road. Where I tend to zone out during races, running on a treadmill would allow me to "tune-in" to the workout and focus more intently.
5. A mental challenge. Slogging through the miles without any change in scenery (except maybe the person next to you in the gym) can be mind-numbing--my biggest complaint about running on the treadmill!! At the same time, it can be a great mental training, where hopefully it will teach me to learn how to build up that mental toughness, such it up and deal with it.
6. Data. You know exactly how far you've gone, how much you've climbed, and so on. It's good to keep all that numbers on hand and duplicate specific workouts from time to time just to see if you've progressed.

Below are some fun treadmill workouts ideas that I've done from time to time, to keep boredom at bay:

1. On the up and up. At zero incline, run for 10 mins at a comfortable pace. Set the incline to 1% and run at the same speed for a minute. Drop back to zero incline and run a minute. Raise it to 2% for a minute, then down to zero for a minute. Next raise it to 3%, then down to 1%, then up to 4%, then down to 2%--all for a minute each. Then go up to 5% and down to 3%. Work your way back down from there: 4, 3, 1, 2, 0, 1, 0. Finish with 10 mins of comfortable running at zero. Total running time: 38 mins (14 mins uphill).
2. The Short Circuit. This workout combines toning exercises with running for maximum efficiency and minimal boredom. Warm up for 10 mins at an easy pace. Stop and do 10 or 20 push-ups. Get back on the treadmill and run at a moderately-hard pace for 5 mins. Stop and do 30 ab crunches. Run for 5 mins, get off and do 20 bicycles. Run for 5 mins, stop and do another set of push-ups. Run for 10 mins hard and then cool down with a 10 mins jog. Total running time: 45 mins. 
3. TV Time. For a light entertainment, tune in to your favorite sitcom and, whenever the show is on, run at a moderately-hard pace. At a commercial break, slow the treadmill to an easy pace. Run hard again when the program returns. Repeat the pattern until the show ends. Total running time: 30-40 mins (depends on the show)
4. Run to the rhythm. Prepare a CD or tape of your favorite workout songs first. You can adjust the suggested length by adding or removing music; the key is to pick songs with varied tempos. Then, while running on the treadmill, punch up or slow down the speed to match the song tempos you've recorded. Kick off the mix with 10 mins of easy listening, then insert 5 mins interval at a medium pace. An optimal stride rate that minimizes stress and injury risk is one of about 180 footfalls per minute; use this as your guide for medium tempo. Next, put five mins of music at a fast tempo, followed by eight mins at a medium tempo. Go fast again for 8 mins worth of music, and finish off the mix with 10 mins of lower songs to cool down. You'll find the up-tempo numbers can help you sustain the faster programmed speeds. Total running time: 46:00.