I hate the treadmill, but winter is coming...any tips?

belgerian

I do not run outside when it gets in the Negatives I just do not enjoy it. I enjoy running outside but I also like treadmill, Headphones on TV in front of me I do not have to worry about kids, dogs elderly (bless all of them) but they have a habit of stepping in front of me just as i step to go around them. Treadmill has its positives but so does outside and they both have there negatives. Try to look at the positives you might start enjoying it. Maybe?

goldthistime

I love my treadmill. I have it set up in front of a tv. I put on closed captioning, find something I want to watch AND crank the tunes on the radio. Never bored.

tristen_leigh

I don't mind the treadmill but it hasn't always been that way. I would recommend the same as others - HIIT to keep it interesting, watch some shows OR... my favorite is audiobooks. I know it sounds lame but I get totally absorbed in the story and it makes time fly.

BrianSharpe

Tip: run outside, if you're dressed properly it can be very enjoyable (pretty much the only time I'll use my treadmill is after freezing rain)

brendak76

For those that run outside in the snow/ice: how do you keep from sinking in the snow, or slipping? How well do YakTrax work? We have so much snow and ice here in the winter I'm not sure how to navigate it.

mattssoccermom9

I have a treadmill at home that I have been doing. I put my Luke Bryan cd in and go. Sometimes I keep the same speed which is 2.5 mph and sometimes I go up between 3 and 3.5 mph. I have even found myself upping the speed to 3.8. Depending how fast I go I can be at the 2.75 mile mark by the time my cd is over and keep going until I hit the 3 mile mark.

juliet3455

@brendak76; For those that run outside in the snow/ice: how do you keep from sinking in the snow, or slipping?
This has been a strange winter to say the least, normally we would have 50-100 cm ( 20-40 in ) of snow in Northern Canada where I live but are basically running on bare pavement and single track/double track bush trails with 2-10cm ( 1-4 in ) of snow. Quite simply " Find a Local Running Group and join them " as they will have lots of local experience about good running options no matter what the weather or your skill level. Ask runners you meet on the Trails, ask at your local Running-Sporting Goods store or Search on Google-FB.
With my local group we don't run in deep snow as there are to many hidden dangers, so when the trails close up we start doing the Dreaded Real Estate runs around the local sub-divisions. Some of our trails are outside Town Limits so there are no restrictions on motorized vehicles, we will run a snowmobile on these trails to pack them down and give us a good solid stable base that will hold up until the spring melts. Within the Town the Riverbank and Park Trails are plowed/cleared by the Town after a snowfall so we can still run on them. But what we have now is a joy.
How well do YakTrax work? We have so much snow and ice here in the winter I'm not sure how to navigate it.
Have only used " Traction Aids " twice and they were very helpful and confidence boosting. The ones I have are actually a collection of Tungsten Spikes similar to YakTrax that leaves about 60% of your shoe tread free to make contact with the running surface. They are great on compacted snow - ice layers but on super thin sheet ice or bare pavement they become uncomfortable on long runs. I still have them but haven't used them for a run this year as I have improved my technique/shortened my stride on ice and this keeps my foot plant under my hip which gives maximum stability. Shoes? If you have a lot of snow/ice investing in a pair of Winter Bush Trail shoes might be a good idea, if nothing else they have a more aggressive tread pattern and are more water proof which helps keep your feet dry. Hope this helps you.

Seacgo

kvansteen wrote: »

I have fell in love with running outside. My problem is that I live in the midwest and winter is going to be upon us sooner than I wish. I can bundle up some days and manage, but I would like to continue running about 3x a week. I have a gym at my college that I can use for free, and I have tried it a couple of times. My problem is that I hate the treadmill. I'm afraid I'm going to trip and bang my face. I also am constantly playing with the settings and cannot find a "routine" that I enjoy. I cannot figure out how to preprogram it either. I would like to set it so I can do my Couch to 10k, but I don't know how. Also, I get bored because the "scenery" doesn't change. I don't know, anyone have any tips?

I used to have that same fear. I started power walking HIIT intervals and gradually worked my way up running them at incline and I no longer hate it and I'm not afraid anymore. I just ho on and rin. It's also made me a better faster outdoor runner. If you have a polar HR monitor their app has some pretty good interval workouts that you can listen to. I advise using a wireless headphone though because I've gotten tangled in the cord and nearly broke my phone.