Running on a treadmill
Replies
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scorpio516 wrote: »
I have no idea how you people remember anything about the imperial system, it is so random. The only thing I know is that yards and metres are pretty similar and that I'm 64 inches tall.
I mean, it's not as weird as the whole stones thing in the UK, but still. Mental.0 -
The arguments for treadmills are usually: -
"I cant run outside"
"I havent got enough time to run outside"
"Its too cold to run outside"
There isnt really anything positive about a treadmill. It is just in the end, a pointless ornament that doesnt even simulate proper running....
Uh...it's EXACTLY the same as running outside, with the exception of wind resistance and landing on a slightly different surface than you would on the road.
There is everything posivtive about the treadmill. You can perfectly control the effort/pace of the workout, and it doesn't require any focus to keep dead on target pace. It's a great tool for workouts if it's not a good weather day, if it's icy, if it's windy, if it's dark, or if you need to do faster work in a hilly area and don't have access to a track.
The one downside is that it is generally a little less engaging (though if you run hard enough it hurts enough that you don't have any thought left to worry about that).0 -
I know running on a treadmill is frowned at ... but someone told me that 3% incline is what should be used and not to run flat. Is this true ?
3% is massively harder than running outdoors on level ground.
Slower than speeds of about 7:00 pace (8.5 mph) there is little need for an incline, the wind resistance is significant enough to play a dramatic role.
Up until about 5:30 pace (10.9 mph) 1% incline is the best approximation of the energetics of running on level ground.
Faster than 5:30 pace and you probably need to bring that up to 1.5%, or more if you're doing some serious work at pace deep into the 4:xx range.
That said, I tend to lean towards the 'don't use the incline and just run faster to compensate' camp. You can get the same effort in with the added benefit of extra neuromuscular practice running at a slightly faster speed.
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The arguments for treadmills are usually: -
"I cant run outside"
"I havent got enough time to run outside"
"Its too cold to run outside"
There isnt really anything positive about a treadmill. It is just in the end, a pointless ornament that doesnt even simulate proper running....
Uh...it's EXACTLY the same as running outside, with the exception of wind resistance and landing on a slightly different surface than you would on the road.
There is everything posivtive about the treadmill. You can perfectly control the effort/pace of the workout, and it doesn't require any focus to keep dead on target pace. It's a great tool for workouts if it's not a good weather day, if it's icy, if it's windy, if it's dark, or if you need to do faster work in a hilly area and don't have access to a track.
The one downside is that it is generally a little less engaging (though if you run hard enough it hurts enough that you don't have any thought left to worry about that).I know running on a treadmill is frowned at ... but someone told me that 3% incline is what should be used and not to run flat. Is this true ?
3% is massively harder than running outdoors on level ground.
Slower than speeds of about 7:00 pace (8.5 mph) there is little need for an incline, the wind resistance is significant enough to play a dramatic role.
Up until about 5:30 pace (10.9 mph) 1% incline is the best approximation of the energetics of running on level ground.
Faster than 5:30 pace and you probably need to bring that up to 1.5%, or more if you're doing some serious work at pace deep into the 4:xx range.
That said, I tend to lean towards the 'don't use the incline and just run faster to compensate' camp. You can get the same effort in with the added benefit of extra neuromuscular practice running at a slightly faster speed.
What he said.0 -
bspringer544 wrote: »The arguments for treadmills are usually: -
"I cant run outside"
"I havent got enough time to run outside"
"Its too cold to run outside"
There isnt really anything positive about a treadmill. It is just in the end, a pointless ornament that doesnt even simulate proper running....
How about, 'I live in the Arctic, it's minus 40C windchill and I have a choice of either running through a foot of ice-capped snow or on a rounded, icy grid-road'... Is that enough of an excuse?
Yeah, because everyone lives in the arctic..... Amazing the amount of people who do all of a sudden....0 -
bspringer544 wrote: »The arguments for treadmills are usually: -
"I cant run outside"
"I havent got enough time to run outside"
"Its too cold to run outside"
There isnt really anything positive about a treadmill. It is just in the end, a pointless ornament that doesnt even simulate proper running....
How about, 'I live in the Arctic, it's minus 40C windchill and I have a choice of either running through a foot of ice-capped snow or on a rounded, icy grid-road'... Is that enough of an excuse?
Yeah, because everyone lives in the arctic..... Amazing the amount of people who do all of a sudden....
I think maybe more people than you realize deal with these kinds of temperatures. I live in a major Canadian city far, far south of the Arctic and still have to deal with snow/ice/-40 temps/etc., sometimes for months. I don't think it's as uncommon as you realize to have fairly severe weather that makes running outdoors undesirable.
I love the treadmill when the weather is inclement or it's dark out, personally (again, major city, I live downtown, I'm a small woman, I don't feel safe out alone at night.) I don't consider it a hardship to have to do some of my runs indoors, personally, and it's a real pet peeve when other people act like the treadmill is OMG THE WORST THING EVER HOW CAN YOU STAND IT. Like, it's fine if you hate it, but projecting that onto everyone else is ridiculous. If I hated it, I wouldn't do it, but I don't, so I use it as a convenient piece of training equipment for times that I don't want to be outside.0 -
scorpio516 wrote: »
I have no idea how you people remember anything about the imperial system, it is so random. The only thing I know is that yards and metres are pretty similar and that I'm 64 inches tall.
I mean, it's not as weird as the whole stones thing in the UK, but still. Mental.
It all depends on your mental map I guess. In the US, there have been various movements to "go metric" for the past 40+ years. Most of it I don't mind, but I have a sense in my head of what feet, inches, and pounds mean and I am totally lost mentally if I try to imagine those dimensions in meters (esp height and weight).
That being said, I can switch units on my treadmill pretty easily, and in past times when I was trying to improve 5K and 10K times, I switched over to KM so the splits were easier to remember. I keep a "pace cheat sheet" nearby, but the more I did it, the more comfortable I was ignoring miles and using metrics.
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I know running on a treadmill is frowned at ... but someone told me that 3% incline is what should be used and not to run flat. Is this true ?
3% is massively harder than running outdoors on level ground.
Slower than speeds of about 7:00 pace (8.5 mph) there is little need for an incline, the wind resistance is significant enough to play a dramatic role.
Up until about 5:30 pace (10.9 mph) 1% incline is the best approximation of the energetics of running on level ground.
Faster than 5:30 pace and you probably need to bring that up to 1.5%, or more if you're doing some serious work at pace deep into the 4:xx range.
That said, I tend to lean towards the 'don't use the incline and just run faster to compensate' camp. You can get the same effort in with the added benefit of extra neuromuscular practice running at a slightly faster speed.
Agree for the most part--and you are up to date(as usual) on research re wind resistance/incline. I prefer a little incline (0.5 or 1.0%) just to give my legs a little "dig" -- I do find it makes for an easier transition to outdoors.
I had an interesting "real world/treadmill" comparison a couple of years ago. For various reasons, I have done almost all my running on a treadmill the last 5+ years. I was visiting my daughter and had no access to equipment, so I mapped out a 3 mile course in her neighborhood and ran it every day for 5 days. In the middle there was a 1/2 mile long hill that just about killed me every day, since my hill-running ability has almost completely disappeared.
When I got home, I used some running map program to actually measure/estimate the incline of that hill. I got on my treadmill and ran for awhile, then set the speed/incline to match my outdoor run. Damn if I didn't lose it at almost the exact spot as on the outside run.
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The arguments for treadmills are usually: -
"I cant run outside"
"I havent got enough time to run outside"
"Its too cold to run outside"
There isnt really anything positive about a treadmill. It is just in the end, a pointless ornament that doesnt even simulate proper running....
While I will always choose to run outside if that is an option, it is not always an option due to conditions, or timing, or whatnot. I will also choose to run on a treadmill every time as opposed to not run at all. Those who choose to not run at all will be slower than me.
I prefer being faster. Therefore I use a treadmill when I need to.
I agree 100%!0 -
I am one of the few that prefer to run on the treadmill. Like @peleroja said, some of us live where it is winter for many months. I have a treadmill in my living room that gets used most mornings of the week. I do not have to pay for a gym membership, I don't have to go outside in the middle of the winter in central Wisconsin, and I don't have to run into people I may know while I'm running outside. (I have no desire to have people see me run-outside of my family.) The treadmill also makes it much easier to track my speed and distance. I'm by no means a "runner", just a person that's looking to lose a few pounds and get in better shape so I don't end up crippled as I get older. Heck, I can only "jog" for a mile at time right now, but I'm working on my speed and distance.0
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I'm not comfortable with running outside. That's fine for those of you who are, but it's not for me at this point, although I'd like to get the nerve up over the summer. If I don't, I won't beat myself up about it, but without the treadmill, I wouldn't be running at all.
Who knew that the treadmill was such a bastion of ill repute...? Certainly not me, as I've just bought my own treadmill and love it.0
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