Treadmill v outside (Read 1999 times)

I find treadmill running booooring. So I do a few "games" if ever I use it which makes time pass much faster. For example I might start and warm up with two miles of easy running. Then would increase my speed by 0.2 every 100 meters (quarter laps). For example, I'd start at 6.3 mph and increase to 6.4 , 6.6 , 6.8, ... , 8.5. Then I would go back down the same way back to 6.3 mph. The way back down is harder. I would do another mile easy and if I have time do another increasing speed interval. Then finally cool down for a mile or two. It definitely breaks the monotony of the TM. I do other variants of this or just simple intervals. Doing constant speed from start to finish is very hard. - R

I tell my husband this all the time - I KNOW my treadmill is wrong. I'll jump on and run for 30 minutes at what I know is my usual pace (i'm pretty good at telling what my pace is) and when I'm all done, the display shows that I've run like a whole mile less than what I know I should be at. I think I partially proved my theory when I got my Garmin. My average pace outside with the garmin is about 5mph. But when I get on the treadmil, my steady pace is 4.2. Ive tried it at a 5 for long periods of time and I just cant keep up with it. So thats my story anyway.....

Well, seems as if I am in the minority, but I actually like using my treadmill. I split my first M training about 40/60 (TM versus outside). Even did a couple 2 hour+ runs on it. Of course I have a TV/DVD/VCR combo that helps me get through it. Nothing like screaming at the top of my lungs for someone (DD, DS, DW) to come down and change out a movie. Hmm, maybe that's why they are always after me to run outside?

Here's another weird thing. If I do manage to actually do 5 or 6 miles on the mill, I NEVER feel like I've been running, afterwards. Even if I've worked up a sweat, I just don't have that "feeling" you get after running outside. Weird.

I know exactly what you mean. I don't know how to describe it, but I can relate!

Why run on it at all? Even if we had the room for one I don't know that I'd want one. I'd rather invest in footwear and clothing that allows me to run outdoors in any conditions.

Me too, Zoom, but the whole dark/ shady/ dangerous thing keeps me indoors sometimes I don't like the mill, but it allows me to get in my miles when it's dark outside (dark when I leave for work, dark when I come home from work).

Ditto here. I am not comfortable running alone at night. Once summer comes and the sun rises sooner, I'll chance the outdoors. The frustration is I get caught up looking at the slow pace (3.5-3.8 mph) and wonder if I ever will be fast enough to race. When I can actually run outside, it's the most encouraging thing ever.

Yep, me too (my fear is stray dogs, not people). I was actually trying to work in more outside mileage this month and next in prep for my March 2 HM and took the dog out with me last Friday. We encountered two loose dogs and I learned really quickly that I can't outrun dogs. Lucky for me they ended up being friendly. I've been too scared since then to go back out in the dark (not sure why it bothers me less in the daylight, I guess the security of more people being around or driving by or something makes me feel safer) so I am back to doing my weekday early AM runs at the gym.

I actually like running on the treadmill. I feel like it is more of a workout, probably because I sweat so much more because of lack of wind. When i was training, I rean half my runs on the treadmill and the other half on a bike trail. The treadmill is convient for me because I can do other things at the gym either before or after such as weights or other cardio, and I also need the child care. I always ran my longer (10 or more) runs on the trail. When I trained for my last Marathon, my mom lived with us so I could run on the trail more easily. I also find that I have less problems with my arch (extra bone that pulls on a tiny muscle) when I run on the treadmill. This year when I became pregnant, the cushion of the treadmill was what kept me able to run. But sadly now, I am not running at all, just doing cardio and weights, but I do make lots of plans while I am working out about what I will do when I am not so uncomfortable and achy (should be sometime around May 3). When I first started to run, the treadmill was really hard, but as I got in better shape and learned that I had to run a slower pace on it than I could outside, I didn't mind it so much, the longest I have run is 9 miles. I also like it for interval running, much more convenient than a track. Some people say that they don't feel like they really ran when they run on the treadmill, it is the opposite for me. I feel like that if I just run 3 or 4 miles outside. Someone also said that they do progressive type runs, I find that that style really works well for me on the treadmill, and really passes the time. Plus the more warmed up I am, the faster I am able to run. Anyways, I think that if you want to run and you can't outside, whether saftey, cold or child care, you just do it, and eventually you learn to adapt. It's like long runs, I used to dread them and eventually I cam e to not mind them so much. You do what YOU have to do to be able to RUN. Lisa Oh I thought of one thing that may affect how fast you can run on the treadmill. When I run outside, I run a somewhat consistent pace, but I do tend to slow down and speed up. The treadmill makes you run evenly ALL the time, it makes you maintain the same pace. So you never get a break. You can run a mile outside and run a 10 minute mile, but you may have run a little at 10:30 a little at 9:50, maybe even some a little faster or slower. Someone also mentioned that some people may shorten their stride on the treadmill because of the belt, I wonder then if you would be taking a lot more steps which might make it seem more taxing. I always run at a 1 incline, which is more difficult than a 0, I know because the treadmill I was on one day didn't incline and it was much easier.