Just started couch25K - Treadmill okay?

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  • jennifleurb
    jennifleurb Posts: 97
    I loved, loved, LOVED my treadmill when I first started running. If I hadn't had one I probably wouldn't have kept it up. Been running for about 3.5yrs now and would much rather go outside. Sometimes I'll still do intervals on the treadmill because I'm lazy :/. Do whatever keeps you motivated and consistent. Good luck :)

    Hey, I love your dog :) How old is she/he?

    Thanks for the response :D
  • jennifleurb
    jennifleurb Posts: 97
    Hi all,

    I just wanted to say thanks again for all of your helpful replies. I don't have time to respond to each of you, but please know how helpful this has all been to me.

    :)
  • laprimrose
    laprimrose Posts: 8
    The coush25K is awesome, my wife and I started it a little over a week ago and we ran around the park. My job im on the road a lot and in and out of hotels. So I ran on the treadmill at the hotel and I loved it my knees do not hurt.. So I feel like that i hed a better workout...Your body will tell you what you dont like...Good luck and have fun doing it..!!!
  • risak
    risak Posts: 79 Member
    I'm on week 4 day 3 of the C25K program. I've done it all on the treadmill so far. I know I need to get outside and I like the idea of pushing for day 3 to be an outside run. The weather here (VA) is miserable so there are few days where I could motivate myself to run outside. If it's not 1 million degrees and humid it's cold and raining, or my allergies kill me.

    When I run/jog on the treadmill I set the incline to 0.5. I see a lot of people putting percentages here for inclines. I'm not so good at math, what would be the preferred decimal number to increase the difficulty a little without tearing up my knees?
  • drchimpanzee
    drchimpanzee Posts: 892 Member
    For me it was like most others are saying. It's good if that's all you can do but outside feels really different. The sidewalk doesn't give that bounce. Another good thing about the street/sidewalk is it prepares you for hills from the beginning. I did my C25K at a school track. The even surface plane really spoiled me. Getting out on the pavement I felt fine until I had to climb a slope. Took a few more runs to get used to those.
  • Resa52
    Resa52 Posts: 182 Member
    I found running on the treadmill and running outside to be two completely different ballgames. I did four weeks of couch to 5k on the treadmill and then attempted to walk/run a 5k and it was as if I had never ran a minute in my life.

    After I did a whole bunch of reading, most places say setting your treadmill to a 3-4% incline makes the resistance more similar to that you face running on pavement.

    Unfortunately for me, pavement running really hurts my back, so no "real" 5k for me :o(
  • sherrirb
    sherrirb Posts: 1,649 Member
    Hi there,

    I've just started the awesome couch to 5 K. I was wondering however whether the treadmill is best or outside or both? I have a treadmill in my house and prefer it as it rains a lot here. I was wondering however if I am missing out by using my treadmill?

    Please let me know your thoughts.
    Jennifer

    I am on my 2nd time through C25K. As a beginner, it is much easier to do on a treadmill; learning your ability, whats too fast, what is a good speed, foot placement (to avoid shin splints) are all good reasons to start on a treadmill.

    I use a treadmill because right now my husband and I dont feel our knees can handle road running just yet. We want to lose some more weight before taking this outside, but plan to be running a couple 5ks by April or May. Another reason we use the treadmill is that Wisconsin weather is not conducive to outdoor running: overweight and uncoordinated & attempting to move fast on wet/icy/snow covered pavement is a recipe for disaster to be sure! :tongue:

    If you do stay on the treadmill for a while, definitely make it a point of using the incline feature. 0 incline doesn't do much. 1-2 incline will more mimic actual road difficulty and it increases your calorie burn.
  • corneredbycorn
    corneredbycorn Posts: 267 Member
    I hate the dreadmill. Not only is it boring, but it's not preparing you for running outside (if you plan to race) and it's not going to give you as much of a calorie burn since it's "moving the road" for you. The only time I don't go outside is if it's pouring rain, thunder/lightning, or icy. The first because I don't trust drivers to not hit me, the second because it's just dangerous, and the third for both reasons. I take my 13 month old on nearly all my runs as well (even when it's cold!). She loves it. :)
  • WAHMto5
    WAHMto5 Posts: 375 Member
    I am currently on week 5 and have done all of it on the treadmill so far;) I have set my incline at a 2.
  • KetoDebbie912
    KetoDebbie912 Posts: 105 Member
    I am on week 4 and have done most of my training on the treadmill. I have never ran before and am not in very good shape so starting out on a treadmill was my method of choice. I honestly feel that if it had been too hard, I would have given up. Now I love my work outs, I still feel challenged and one day I WILL run outside and in a REAL 5k. :)
    I set the treadmill on a 1% incline and on tough days, I run flat. According to the articles I have read on C25K training, do what you feel most comfortable with and complete the program. Once you are finished you can work on pace, running outdoors, hills, etc.
  • ksuh999
    ksuh999 Posts: 543 Member
    Nothing wrong with the treadmill. My gym has a track so I use that. On week 5, day 3 tomorrow with C25K.

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