Advice on making the switch....

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BryATC
BryATC Posts: 7 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
From the treadmill to outside. I starting "running" in February and finally the weather is nice enough where I live that I want to make the transition to outside. Any tips for me as a beginner "runner"???

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  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    Saturday will be my first outdoor run. I'm alternately excited and terrified! I plan on easing into my run, getting in a good brisk walk to warm up, then slowly jogging, and picking it up as I feel ok.
  • 86_Ohms
    86_Ohms Posts: 253 Member
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    I'm very envious of your nice weather. I live in the midwest, and I'm still looking for days above 40 degrees.


    Don't be too hard on yourself switching to the outdoors. You'll work different muscles from a broad range of terrain in comparison, and your pace will be off in the beginning (you'll probably run faster then intended - personal experience).

    Any running groups you can join?
  • BryATC
    BryATC Posts: 7 Member
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    I'm very envious of your nice weather. I live in the midwest, and I'm still looking for days above 40 degrees.


    Don't be too hard on yourself switching to the outdoors. You'll work different muscles from a broad range of terrain in comparison, and your pace will be off in the beginning (you'll probably run faster then intended - personal experience).

    Any running groups you can join?

    I'm in NWPA...so don't be too envious. It will probably snow next week haha! I've thought about asking my coworker (who is training for her 2nd iron(wo)man to go with me, but I don't want to mess up her training schedule right now so I guess I'm on my own.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Run on asphalt instead of cement sidewalks (it has more give so it is easier on your knees) - or run trails with bark or dirt (but I hate the uneven footing).

    Get fitted for proper shoes for yoru gait - most running stores do this free of charge.

    have fun!
  • davidbronkalla
    davidbronkalla Posts: 28 Member
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    I trained on the treadmill all winter (I was never a runner before this) and was able to get outside 3 or 4 times this spring (Wisconsin weather is not very pleasant). I found running outside much more enjoyable that inside on the treadmill. It seemed that I could go farther outside and not even notice it. I am actually looking forward to when the weather is nice enough that I can constantly run outside.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,714 Member
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    From the treadmill to outside. I starting "running" in February and finally the weather is nice enough where I live that I want to make the transition to outside. Any tips for me as a beginner "runner"???
    Yeah. Don't try to run the same distance on the road as you do on the treadmill. Trust me when I say that you'll pay for it in DOMS.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Otterluv
    Otterluv Posts: 9,083 Member
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    Umm, run?

    Stay off of concrete if at all possible. Run on asphalt, or even better; trail run. Don't go for anything too hilly or treacherous at first. It's going to work some different muscles than you are used to, so you may get some soreness. If you do have to run on a harder surface, do it in intervals so that your joints can ease into it over time.

    Mostly though, have fun! Trail running is where it's at.

    tTFr6zB.jpg
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    Run slowly.. Like slower then you think you need to.

    Treadmills give you a fixed pace... Running outside doesn't. If you try to run as fast as you are on a treadmill, you'll tire out quickly.
  • rachelannecraig
    rachelannecraig Posts: 92
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    We actually had some nice weather a few weeks ago. I have been working out doing crossfit, the elliptical, but not the treadmill. But during Spring Break while my girls were at softball practice I decided to go for a jog and did 3 miles! I have never jogged that far before in my life. I am incredibly slow - it took my 45 mins. - but I jogged the whole thing and really passed a personal milestone. Now I am thinking of doing a 5K in May with my girls - it would be my first.

    You just have to embrace it and trust in what training you have already done! Good Luck!
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    As has already been said, slowly.

    Almost no one has ever complained that they wish they had started out further/longer when first starting (real) running. Much better to run half as far/long as maybe you could and take longer to ramp up to your potential than to charge out of the gates right into an injury that takes you completely out of the game for a while.

    That said, for me personally, I do *much* better running outside than I do on a treadmill. X miles outside is no problem, but the same distance on a treadmill and I'd almost certainly tweak something. Also, I do a lot better on trails than I do on concrete or asphalt. Part of it is probably the softer surface, and part of it is probably that I have to go a little slower/more deliberately to navigate the turns/narrow paths.

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