Don’t Let Winter Get The Best of You: How Antonio Vega Won The US Half Marathon Championships Running All His Workouts on the Treadmill

antionio vega treadmill runningIn 2010, Minnesota experienced one of it’s coldest, snowiest and iciest winters in recent memory. However, for elite runner Antonio Vega, there were still races to be run in warmer parts of the country. So, what did he do?

Antonio logged 90 percent of his 120 miles per week on the dreadmill treadmill. Yes, that is 100-110 miles per week of running on the treadmill!

The result?

A 2-minute half marathon PR (1:01:54) at the 2010 US Championships, where he bested the fastest half marathoners in the US to capture his first US Championship.

I couldn’t think of anyone better to help answer your questions about treadmill running and Antonio didn’t disappoint. Here’s a brief recap of what we discussed:

  • How he handled speed work, like having to stop and start for intervals, especially since Antonio’s HM pace is close to 4:40 per mile.
  • The tricks and strategies he used to combat the boredom. Spoiler alert, Antiono hates the treadmill and, just like training, there is no “secret” that makes it easy for him. Antonio is just a dedicated, tough runner!
  • His favorite treadmill workout and what workouts he finds easier on the treadmill compared to outside.
  • How Antonio and his coach utilized inclines to help hit the efforts they needed and to make sure he didn’t get caught in the “set it and forget it” trap treadmill training can often cause.

Even if you hate treadmill running as much as I do (I can count the number of miles I’ve run on a treadmill on one hand), you’ll learn a ton from this interview.

Let us know in the comments section if there were any questions we missed or if you have follow-ups. Even better, if you want to ask your own questions to our future guests, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We will post opportunities for questions as soon as we schedule the interview.

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