Thursday, October 10, 2013

Running like Frankenstein on a treadmill


In my never ending quest to categorize people, I identified another type of treadmill runner, while running on the treadmill this morning.  The first was the "Noisy Runner", who lands on their heels and makes a ton of noise.  I've since, in my mind, renamed them "Elephants".

The new category of runner is the "Frankenstein".  Frankesteins place their arms on the front portion of the treadmill and just shuffle their legs.  I'm not sure why they rest their arms.  I've never seen anyone run with their arms not moving, why do it on a treadmill?  Why give up the extra calorie burn and workout for the arms?  At the same time, the Frankensteins also destroy their running form.


I suspect Frankensteins do it, because it generates the illusion of being able to run faster than they actually can. Running on a treadmill, for a variety of factors, enables a runner to run faster than they would be able to on a track.  If a runner takes it one step further and lays their arms on top of the treadmill and supports their body weight, they can literally float along the top of the treadmill belt.

I suppose running like a Frankenstein is better than not running at all, but if a runner goes to the trouble of going to gym, changing their clothes and getting sweaty, why not at least try to run like a runner as opposed to a Frankenstein?

San Elijo Hills Running Club

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