I hate the dreadmill (Read 890 times)

rarely, very rarely do I run on treadmill.   rain/snow/wind usually does not bother me much except for for those long 24/7 for  days or weeks on end & will hit the tm.  sometimes just get tired of the rain here in the PNW.  treadmill workouts take more out of body for some reason.  2 theorys on this:

1. rarely use  tm so different adaptations taking place   2. I think our bodies subconsciously adjust for the different surfaces/angles/inclines etc while running outside.  On tm the surface (belt) doesn't change. adjusting  inclines/speeds helps but the belt surface is still the same. these are my theorys anyway & probably way off base. 

although not done this for awhile,  I used to run down the hill to gym & hit the tm for abit before and/or during strength training.  running back home up the hill usually quite  a challenge while fatigued.(especially if windy) but helped to adapt to running with fatigued legs/body.  

I can still drop a 34min 10k on any givenSunday so I hope I am considered a real runner.

 

Yeah, I hope so, too. The 34 minute 10K finishers are on their second cups of coffee by the time my slow ass crosses the line.

There are lots of reasons why a treadmill isn't just a chore. It's good for year-round heat-conditioned training, it gives me some low-impact miles, it's useful for interval work, and it's a good tool for learning what a given pace should feel like. I would probably hate running on one every day, but it's actually a nice change for a couple of workouts a week.

rarely, very rarely do I run on treadmill.   rain/snow/wind usually does not bother me much except for for those long 24/7 for  days or weeks on end & will hit the tm.  sometimes just get tired of the rain here in the PNW.  treadmill workouts take more out of body for some reason.  2 theorys on this:

 

1. rarely use  tm so different adaptations taking place   2. I think our bodies subconsciously adjust for the different surfaces/angles/inclines etc while running outside.  On tm the surface (belt) doesn't change. adjusting  inclines/speeds helps but the belt surface is still the same. these are my theorys anyway & probably way off base. 

 

although not done this for awhile,  I used to run down the hill to gym & hit the tm for abit before and/or during strength training.  running back home up the hill usually quite  a challenge while fatigued.(especially if windy) but helped to adapt to running with fatigued legs/body.  

I would not disagree with your theories at all, in fact I see a lot of merit to them.  However, #2 cuts both ways.  I live in an area with very crowned roads.  I credit this with some of the issues I am having now.  The treadmill gives me some time back on a flat surface.  But, I really wish I still had access to very variable terrain asIMHO that is best.

I am certain I use different form on the machine.  That is not even a theory.

I don't hate the treadmill, but don't really enjoy running on one either, except for doing 5:00 to 6:00 mpm pace just to see how long I can hold it (this usually seems to either really startle, or really annoy those around me, I haven't  figured out which). But I  did start off my current life as a runner on a motel treadmill while on a business trip 6 years ago October, after three months of dieting and biking off 40 lbs of excess flabbage that had snuck up on me over a 15 year period. So I have to give the mill it's due. I got to where I could do an hour or more on the treadmill that winter, but only by changing things up constantly while running on it. 

These days I'm extremely lucky to have access to a great indoor 200m track at my university's Rec Center.  It's surrounded by what looks like at least 50 treadmills and elliptical machines. When the hundreds of laps I run there all winter start making me crazy, I just look over at these treadmills and other machines, and remind myself that I could be on one of them. The track is ever so much better. 

However, two, and only two, of all those treadmills are actually incline trainer treadmills, and will go up to a slope of 30%. I find this very useful for hill training. Walking uphill at 2.5 mph @ 30% slope uses about 358 watts of power for the "average" 150 lb person, equivalent to running about a 7:30 pace mile on flat ground (very roughly - it's feels a bit tougher to me). I mostly do a lot of this slow but steep walking, but I also sometimes run intervals on them at 30%, up to 6 mph, and see how long I can hold it. This is a great way to get a good measure of your max heart rate, if you're a masochist and can hold the pace till you fall off the machine. I've done it twice, over the past several years. 

Another extraordinarily useful thing about walking up such a steep slope at such a slow speed on the incline trainers is that there is almost zero impact on your legs and feet (warning - it's really hard on the knees at first!). I used this machine for extended periods of training both times I had groin pulls and could not run well or at all on flat ground, and it was perfect - no aggravation of the injury, and I not only kept my fitness level but added to it. It's also good when you want to get in a tough workout but can't due to certain types of tendinitis  I had posterior tibial tendinitis and sore feet/arches/ankles this past summer to the point that all running was too much of a pain to bother with. But walking on the incline trainer was ok. I've solved the foot and ankle problems and the tendinitis with orthotics now (and also my recurrent shin splints and also I believe my apparent tendency for groin pulls), so I'm spending less time this winter on the incline, but I still plan to do a few vertical mile workouts sometime this winter, as soon as I work up to it. 

So that's my 2 cents worth on the subject of the treadmill. 

I ran on one for 3 hours last night at the gym.  It's an ice slick out there on both roads and sidewalks, and I don't feel comfortable running next to cars that are driving along with little to no traction, particularly in the dark after work.  I at least had my husband, who also had to run for three hours, next to me to talk to.

We sort of chatted.  Sort of watched TV, but they are kind of far from the treadmills at my gym.  We did have fun yelling at the stupid lady on Wheel of Fortune.  Put on some music for a while - one of the local radio stations does commercial-free Mondays, so I just put that on and got a decent variety without having to make any choices on my own.

It's not so bad once you get yourself used to it.  Just have to be in the right mental state, honestly.  It's amusing - usually when I run 6-7 miles on the treadmill, I'm counting down the minutes.  But since I had mentally accepted 18 miles, the first 6 flew by.

 I cannot even sub-25 in a 5K and I have done a 4:01 mile on the treadmill. 

There was something seriously wrong with your treadmill.  Unless your 5Ks are very, very long you did not run anything close to a 4:01 mile.

They all tend to be a bit different.  My current one seems a bit off...maybe 10sec/mile at most once I get up above 10mph only.

I absolutely detest the treadmill. It is way too cold to be running outside, so I have to use the treadmill, and it sucks! The only good thing the treadmill is useful for is speed workouts, but it's just too easy. In my opinion, you can't be a real runner if you don't do any outside work, or if you don't do enough outside. I cannot even sub-25 in a 5K and I have done a 4:01 mile on the treadmill. Trust me, those things don't do squat. I would rather do almost anything than run on the awful piece of machinery.

Is it possible your treadmill is set to kilometers instead of miles? Because there's no way you ran a 4:01 mile on your treadmill but can't break 25 minutes for a 5K. I'm just a little old man and I can't break 5:00 for a mile on a treadmill, but I can run sub-19 in a 5K, indoors or out, road, track, or on the treadmill.