Gravity is Overrated

Yesterday’s run workout was a 36 minute 10k, including a 5:00 mile at 12% incline.   Not bad. . .especially considering I was only 6 days out from my last Ironman. 

Of course, I had a little assistance from the  Alter-G treadmill.  Now, I love me some treadmill running, but “easier” is not what usually comes to mind when I hop on one of these machines.  This , however, is no ordinary treadmill–it allows you to defy gravity by running at whatever percentage of your bodyweight you choose.   In the video above, I’m experienceing what it would be like to run at 55% of my body weight.  In a word, awesome.

Besides making you feel really, really good about your running capabiliies, there are a host of other physiological reasons that these rock.  Despite the fact that my legs still feel like ground chuck, I was able to get a good sweat, as well as a reminder of what the word ”turnover” means. 

The cardio and neuromuscular benefits I experienced have not gone unnoticed.  Alberto Salazar has his runners doing 20-40 % of their runs on them, and there is a laundry list of professional and college teams that use them for both rehab and training. 

At $27,000-$75,000 a piece (depending on the model), there’s at least one too many zeros in the price tag for me to even dream of owning one, but they can be found in the occasional PT office and some uber high end training centers.

Or, if you really want to know what it’s like to run like a gazelle on the moon, you can just ask my rock star LifeSport teammate, Magalie Tisseyre .  3rd place at Clearwater 70.3 World Championships in 4:05!!  Way to go, MAGS!!!