Running Advice - From Gym to Outdoors

ECR1989

So normally I do my workouts at the gym here in Germany where I live, and a couple of times a week I do 45-60 mins on the elliptical, and maybe the odd class such as zumba or step aerobics. At the end of the month I'm going back to the UK to visit family and friends for about 10 days and I can't go to the gym there! Yesterday I did my cardio on the treadmill for the first time ever and managed to run for 30 mins at 8.5 km/h but with no incline. So when I go to the UK I want to try and keep up some sort of exercise regime, because it's going to be fairly full on with parties and get-togethers - but I know that running outside feels a lot different to running on a treadmill.

Do any of you guys have any advice for how I can start training on the treadmill so that when I switch to running in parks in London, it's not such a shock? Should I go for no incline at first, but longer periods, and then gradually increase the incline but take down the duration? I'm a total noob when it comes to running, treadmills et al so I don't even know at what incline I should be running at! And with running in general, is it better to do interval training - for example short bursts of very fast sprinting on an incline, interspersed with longer moments of running at a slower pace? I just want to improve my overall level of fitness and develop more muscle in my legs (particularly the thigh area!)

Thanks in advance for your help, sorry if my questions seem stupid!!

smiffy645

I would recommend going with a 1% incline and run what you are running now. If you feel that it is too hard then slow down for a walk period and pick it up again. Running training has lots of components with intervals just being one of them. If I were you just concentrate on getting used to running for 30 minutes plus first and then concentrate on some of the other types of training runs. Remember to stretch well after your run, Youtube has loads of stretches for runners. If you fancy something more structured in the UK then the Parkrun on a Saturday morning is a free and great way to get motivated, details here: http://www.parkrun.org.uk/

ECR1989

Thanks! I'll give it a go today with the 1% incline and see how I go!

majope

Why don't you start incorporating some outside running right now, to get a feel for the difference and start getting your legs used to the additional stress of pavement running?

I agree with smiffy about general running--whether on the treadmill or outdoors, build up endurance first before worrying about speed.

litatura

I don't notice any difference in speed or endurance when I run outside vs. on the treadmill. Like the other posters, I run with my treadmill on a 1% incline. When I run outside, I run with my iPhone (Nike+ running app) which updates me after every mile so I know how fast I'm going.