Which do you prefer? Treadmill, stepper or running outside?

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  • raisealittlehell
    raisealittlehell Posts: 341 Member
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    Running outside. The treadmill or rather the dreadmill sucks all the life out of me. If I want to do stairs I'll walk up a flight of them. Running frees my mind, and being outside I get to see and hear nature (I don't run with music) :)
  • gobonas99
    gobonas99 Posts: 1,049 Member
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    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    Outside unless there's an ice storm.....there is no bad weather, just inappropriate clothing! B)

    So much this! :) In the last 18 months, I have run outside for EVERY SINGLE run (including one with -30*F windchill). The lone mile that I did on a treadmill back in March was for a VO2 Max test.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    None
  • rachaelz12
    rachaelz12 Posts: 10 Member
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    Running outside. Treadmill is SO boring.
  • JeraldTX
    JeraldTX Posts: 42 Member
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    Nothing beats a late spring pre-dawn run... Outside.
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,388 Member
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    Either treadmill or running outside. They both have different good and bad qualities.
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,476 Member
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    outside, I hate that I can't change speed on the fly with a treadmill.
  • girlalmighty08
    girlalmighty08 Posts: 130 Member
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    I find the stepper incredibly boring. I would either run outside or do intervals on the treadmill. I find the addition of intervals makes the time go a lot faster because instead of focusing on that I have 40 minutes or whatever left, I just focus on the interval I'm in. Time flies :)
  • Whittedo
    Whittedo Posts: 352 Member
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    Well that's a #nobrainer, running outside.
  • saylorkw
    saylorkw Posts: 69 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Ok, thanks for all of the comments. So can i ask another question in this thread or should I start another? How do you get to the point that you actually LIKE to run. I have tried running. I ran cross country in High school and hated every second of it. If it starts to hurt (chest, back, knees, ankles) i quit. Thought?
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    saylorkw wrote: »
    Ok, thanks for all of the comments. So can i ask another question in this thread or should I start another? How do you get to the point that you actually LIKE to run. I have tried running. I ran cross country in High school and hated every second of it. If it starts to hurt (chest, back, knees, ankles) i quit. Thought?
    Hurt in what way? Running doesn't hurt for me, beyond the occasional tired legs right from the start, and then I usually just take walking intervals or cut the run short.

    I always hated running. I was forced to run in high school and hated every second of it. In adulthood, I joked that the only way you'd see me running is if I were being chased. At age 45 I decided to give C25K a try and I haven't looked back. If you haven't been running, start slowly, and I mean actually run slowly. So slowly you don't think it qualifies as running. You should be able to hold a conversation with another person at the speed you should be running. If you get out of breath, you're going too fast. Try a program like Couch to 5K and build up running times with walk intervals in between. If, when you finish the C25K program you still hate running then find another activity. At least you will have given it a fair shot. :)
  • Dofflin
    Dofflin Posts: 127 Member
    edited June 2015
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    running!
    edit: agreed with SuInAz, I used to say I hated it, until I decided to give it a proper go. I started by running 1km/day for 7 days, then 2km/day for 7 days, and by then I had a feel of where I was at and started changing it to suit myself. Now I just run a few days a week about 10km each time
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
    edited June 2015
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    saylorkw wrote: »
    Ok, thanks for all of the comments. So can i ask another question in this thread or should I start another? How do you get to the point that you actually LIKE to run. I have tried running. I ran cross country in High school and hated every second of it. If it starts to hurt (chest, back, knees, ankles) i quit. Thought?

    Why would you want to run if you don’t like it? There are other forms of exercise out there. I personally run through the pain (as long as it’s not an injury), as I get some discomfort when I haven’t run in a while, but that’s just the kind of person I am. I still love running.

    Side note: I found strength training made me a much better runner.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    outside
  • 3AAnn3
    3AAnn3 Posts: 3,055 Member
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    Stepper. Really helps to define legs and it doesn't bother my knees. Running does.
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    edited June 2015
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    If you are hurting you need to address those causes. It sounds like you wish to run somewhat long distances as opposed to sprints. If your chest is hurting you are running too fast. Slow it down. To build up your system for endurance running you should run at a conversational pace, where you can talk with someone without having to gasp for air while talking. It can be hard to run slow, so you have to actually work at it. Your back, knees and ankles might be due to shoes. If you wish to run long distances do your body a favor and get running shoes that are fit for you at a running store. The rubber meets the road at your feet, so your main focus for any money should be there. Your back, knees and ankles could also just be worn down from running too fast and need a break for a while. It could be a combination of both shoes and fatigue. Running fast takes a bigger physical toll over long distances than running slow (seems obvious if you think about it). You can run quite a ways if you slow down to the proper pace, you will likely surprise yourself.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,263 Member
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    Slow down. Use an app like C25K, and while you're running/walking, listen to podcases. Learn something new from a TED Talk or Radiolab, listen to compelling stories from The Moth, or get stared at by strangers while you laugh at Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Somehow, I went from "needing to go for a run" to "needing my run."
  • bluepotatoes66
    bluepotatoes66 Posts: 45 Member
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    If I'm doing a long cardio session - elliptical.
    If I'm doing cardio as a warm up for weight lifting/strength training - treadmill.
    If I'm doing it just to get moving that day - walking outside.
    saylorkw wrote: »
    Ok, thanks for all of the comments. So can i ask another question in this thread or should I start another? How do you get to the point that you actually LIKE to run. I have tried running. I ran cross country in High school and hated every second of it. If it starts to hurt (chest, back, knees, ankles) i quit. Thought?

    I'm not quite to the point I love it, so feel free to take my answer with a grain of salt, but I have heard that one of the good ways of doing it is to work up to it slowly by doing something like a Couch to 5k program. Heck, if you don't like doing it outdoors, you can do this on the treadmill.

    Also, might be worth going into an athletically oriented shoe store and having your stride analyzed. They can recommend good shoes for you that might reduce the pain.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
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    My gym doesn't have the stairmaster anymore :( I used to do that on off running days. I think they have something similar, but it seems to work more like an ellipitcal than a stairmaster, which I cannot get used to.

    I prefer running outside, but I'm picky about the temperature. I prefer cooler, non-humid weather. As soon as it hits 80, I'm done, I'd rather run a treadmill in a wonderfully air conditioned gym :)
  • AsrarHussain
    AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
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    I asked this before I would say outside is better fresh air and on machines the machine assists you

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