Treadmill running plan: train on your own days with Kotcha

Your running plan now fits your week, not the other way around. With today's iOS update, Kotcha lets you choose your own training days, and your coach shapes the plan around them. A new treadmill mode means indoor runs count just like road runs, so a treadmill running plan is no longer a compromise. The strength workout library also gets bigger.

What's new

• Choose your training days. Tell Kotcha which days you can run, and the plan is built around your week.
• Treadmill mode. Running indoors? Your treadmill sessions now count like your runs outside.
• More strength workouts. The strength library inside your plan grows, with more sessions to keep your legs strong.
• General fixes for a smoother app.

How choosing your days works

Most runners don't have the same week twice. Work, family, travel and club runs all compete for the same hours. Until now, you could move a workout within the current week. Now you can set the days that actually work for you, and Coach K builds each week on that structure.

That matters for the bigger picture too. Kotcha plans your training one week at a time, around your goal race. When your coach knows which days you're available, the key sessions of the week can land on days you can really commit to, instead of being shuffled around at the last minute.

A few practical tips:

• Be honest, not optimistic. Pick the days you can run most weeks, not the days you'd like to run in a perfect week.
• Think about your long run. Choose a day where you have time and energy for your longest effort of the week.
• Leave room to recover. Back-to-back hard days are rarely a good idea. Spreading your running days across the week usually makes training feel easier to absorb.

A treadmill running plan that counts

Bad weather, dark evenings, a hotel gym, a busy schedule with kids at home: there are plenty of good reasons to run indoors. The problem with many apps is that treadmill sessions feel like second-class citizens.

With treadmill mode, they're not. Your indoor runs count like road runs, so the plan keeps working whether you head out the door or step onto the belt. You don't lose a week of progress because the forecast turned.

If you're new to treadmill running, a few classic pointers from coaches:

• Warm up as you would outside. Start easy and build gradually.
• Don't chase the exact feeling of the road. Running indoors feels different. Focus on the effort your coach asked for.
• Stay cool and hydrated. Indoors, you get less airflow than outside, so you can heat up faster.

Strength work keeps growing

Strength training has been part of Kotcha since March, because stronger legs mean fewer injuries. Guided sessions with exercise videos are already built into your plan. This update adds more workouts to the library, so your routine stays varied week after week. Read the full story in Strength training built into your running plan.

Why it matters

The best training plan is the one you can actually follow. Elite athletes have their whole life organised around training. Most of us don't. Picking your own days and logging treadmill runs properly are two small changes that make a big difference to consistency, and consistency beats intensity.

Want to fine-tune your plan even more? See how Goal Checkpoints and plan customisation help you stay on track toward race day.

How to get it

Update Kotcha on your iPhone from the App Store. Set your preferred training days in the app and your coach will take them into account. Your next Weekly Wrap is a good moment to check the new structure: see how the Weekly Wrap works.

FAQ

Can I follow a running plan on a treadmill?

Yes. With Kotcha's treadmill mode, indoor runs count like road runs, so you can follow your plan on the treadmill whenever you need to.

Can I choose which days I train?

Yes. Since this update, you choose your own training days and Kotcha shapes your plan around your week.

Does Kotcha include strength training?

Yes. Guided strength sessions with exercise videos are built into your plan, and this update adds more workouts to the library.