High school standout runner and UO commit Connor Burns speaks on how the Boost Treadmill technology has played a key role in his training in Billy Cvecko’s popular YouTube series “Running with the Toad.”
Billy Cvecko, known in the running community as “The Toad,” runs with the fastest and most interesting athletes in the world to get the scoop on their lives and hobbies. His series, “Running with the Toad,” has hosted several top-tier athletes, from Colleen Quigley to Justyn Knight. In his most recent video, he chats with Connor Burns, a high school senior from Ashland, MO and one of the top high school runners in the country. He clocks in at 1:51 in the 800 meters, 3:58 in the mile, and 8:45 in the two-mile the country and recently committed to the University of Oregon Cross Country/Track & Field team.
In the video, Connor dives into his life as a runner and how he incorporates the Boost Treadmill into his training program for tempo and maintenance runs. Living in Missouri, he’s able to use the Boost to get mileage in on colder days, doing easy runs at 94% body weight to reduce his risk of injury. He also uses the Boost for tempo runs because it allows him to do faster tempos than he could on the ground that actually benefit him more. In one of his most recent Boost workouts, Connor nailed a solid 2 x 3 miles at 4:40 pace and 92% body weight. Transitioning some of his runs and tempos to the Boost has been extremely beneficial for recovery and helps to avoid the “wear and tear” on his legs and joints, he says.
Connor also discusses how running on the Boost compares to running on the ground. He says, for example, if you’re doing a tempo on the ground at 5:00 pace per mile, you can hop on the Boost, take off 6-8% of your body weight, and go 4:50 pace without any extra pounding. In this sense, you’re still getting the benefit of your legs going faster without the heavier impact. He’s been able to play around with different body weights and paces to find what works best for him and test the limits of training with a Boost Treadmill.
