Inside?
Or what situations, weather, etc. will make you run on a treadmill, rather than the open road, track etc.?
A treadmill discussion somewhere else got me thinking. I've run on a treadmill a few times, mainly as a cool down after a swim workout or a warmup at the gym.
My few experiences with them have caused me to decide that I'd rather skip my run, than run on a treadmill. I ran outside all year long, in temps down in below 0 F.
The only weather that really stops me is the horrible wind rain combo we get out here in late fall and early spring. I'm talking winds 35 mph+ and temps right at freezing, but not cold enough for snow. It's miserable.
What's your outside run kryptonIte?
mta: I hadn't thought about lightning. Luckily I live in an area (SW Utah) that doesn't see a lot of it. When we have thunderstorms, they usually get stuck out in the valley, and I can just run up the canyon to get away from things.
Trail and Ultra Running User Group
Runs4Sanity
I'd say lightning that is touching down every 5 minutes or less, or wind that would knock me over... hail, sleet maybe, a heat wave from hell.
*Do It For Yourself, Do It Because They Said It Was Impossible, Do It Because They Said You Were Incapable*
PRs
5k - 24:15 (7:49 min/mile pace)
10k - 51:47 (8:16 min/mile pace)
15k -1:18:09 (8:24 min/mile pace)
13.1 - 1:53:12 (8:39 min/mile pace)
26:2 - 4:14:55 (9:44 min/mile)
1. Thunderstorms. I don't fuck with lightning.
2. Bad heat when I have a hard workout planned. Blowing up due to overheating ain't fun. Been there, done that.
3. Snow covered roads. I have never considered busting my ass a badge of honor.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
I'm an outdoor runner and enjoy being outside. If there's a winter storm forecast, I may skip a DNR day and move my other workouts up or switch things around. If our local gyms had 10-day passes that last 6 months to a year, the times I would use it are when we get water on top of ice or lots of slush. Freezing rain can be an issue for the driving and running, so may reschedule. There just aren't that many days to consider alternatives to running outside. We rarely get lightning in my part of the state (as in every 5 yrs, there might be a few strikes - knock on wood). 90F heat might be a candidate - we're baking up here right now, but it'll pass soon we hope. For a usual summer, we might have 3-5 days total near 70F or above.
Fortunately, snow isn't a problem - just run on top of it. Sometimes spikes or screws or running snowshoes can be helpful - just depends on the type of snow. People run, snowshoe run, xc ski, or mtn bike on the snow, so there's lots of ways to get a good workout outside. There are some days when a higher quality workout might be attainable inside, but usually that's hindsight - and without ready availability of anything except my living room (hand weights, step ups, body weight stuff, etc), it's just easier to go outside. Usually it's not as bad as we thought.
Will run for scenery.
I kind of like the TM. (I know, I know...)
The boredom is an issue, but I like being able to dial in a specific known pace. And sometimes the feeling like I'm being watched kind of keeps me from giving in.
Being 50 feet from a toilet can be pretty nice. And then there's the sauna afterwards.
Oh, another plus is that at the campus fitness center where I train most of the runners are college-aged women.
Stupid feet!
Stupid elbow!
Caretaker/Overlook Hotel
Meh.....Lee Trevino's been struck by lightning twice. He's none the worse for wear, right?
Oh, and Grizzly Adams *DID* have a beard!
Randy
Beer-and-waffle Powered
I don't really ever have access to a treadmill, but I suppose if I did then I would say:
1) Thunder/lightning
2) Horrible conditions (heat/bad footing) when I need to get in a specific workout
3) If there was something on TV I really wanted to watch (but I don't have a TV either... so this isn't all that likely)
In the words of my late-coach : Just hang in there, relax... and at the end of a race anyone you see.....just pass them
Former Bad Ass
Only thunder/lightning and flooding would bring me inside, stopping the run. I don't have access to a TM so if the run is a no outside, it's a no-go.
Damaris
I might add that after thunderstorms, you frequently see very large branches in the road. At the risk of restating the glaringly obvious, those branches fell out of trees and if your head happened to be underneath one of those branches when it fell, you would have a very bad day indeed. Add to that the reality that my runs occur almost exclusively on roads and you'd be much more difficult to see during a thunderstorm and it all adds up to way more danger than it's worth. One run is not going to impact my fitness even if I miss it entirely and if I can get in a treadmill workout, then I'm good to go. I'm lucky in that I work for a small university so I have a fitness center equipped with commercial grade treadmills easily available.
Half my running has been on a tm the last 18 months or so when I went to 6 day weeks. Since then I am faster than the last 5 years, and my mileage is up so it is also helping with recovery. If it is raining and I need a long run, I stay outside. Any daily run when it rains/snows will be inside.
Barking Mad To Run
I'd skip a run before running on a treadmill. I can't run on a treadmill at all, period! The motion of the belt always kicks up my vertigo and I always end up falling off the damn thing. The gym staff is not very impressed by this, lol. So I stay off of them.
Luckily, a few of the gyms I go to have indoor running tracks, so if there is VERY severe weather on a running day, I can use one of those indoor tracks.
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Theodore Roosevelt
I hate the treadmill but thunder storms, heavy fog, or snowing hard enough to limit visibility (blizzard) are about the only reason I'll climb on the hamster wheel.
LTH- Running in a fresh snow early in the morning before anybody else gets a chance to track it up has to be one of the best times to run.
Jess runs for bacon
If there is even a chance of a thunderstorm I won't do it. If there is any kind of extreme weather I'll stay indoors, or if I have some kind of ache that worries me.
I don't mind TMs at all, and usually do two or three of my weekly five down in the basement. I have a fan, music, and vcr to entertain me and the hour or so I spend on the machine usually goes pretty quickly. Why TM? 1) I don't handle heat well, so if the humidity is high, I'll stay inside. 2) I don't like running on ice or snow because I hate falling. 3) Where I live is hilly. I start out with a 150' hill at the end of the block. Hills can't be avoided. Every run has an average elevation gain of 100'/mile. I know it's good for me to run on hills, but sometimes I just want to run easy. 4) It's easier to control my pace. Outdoors I always seem to run too fast, when running by perceived effort, on my easy runs. And I have a hard time maintaining faster paces when I want to, as my body wants to slow to a comfortable pace. On the TM, I am easily able to do progressive runs without having to constantly think about it.
delicate flower
I did about 500 of my 2300 miles last year on the treadmill. I choose the treadmill:
Otherwise, I run outside. 1800 miles outside last year still ain't half bad.
<3