Treadmill vs the track

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  • bbydl64
    bbydl64 Posts: 30 Member
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    OMG...I HATE the treadmill. Would rather be outside for 6 hours then on a treadmill for 6 minutes !!!
  • nenacakesxo
    nenacakesxo Posts: 118 Member
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    OMG...I HATE the treadmill. Would rather be outside for 6 hours then on a treadmill for 6 minutes !!!


    I dont love it either.... but it gets the job done when its raining outside :)
  • swimmer154
    swimmer154 Posts: 1
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    Treadmills just make me want to cry. Literally.
    I can run a mile normally in like 8 minutes, so about 7.6 mph, but when I try the 6 mph on the treadmill, I have to quit within the first 2 minutes! It's just awful.
  • mountaingirl2207
    mountaingirl2207 Posts: 181
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    I have a harder time outside than on the treadmill. Its just too darn hot in Florida!
  • nenacakesxo
    nenacakesxo Posts: 118 Member
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    I have a harder time outside than on the treadmill. Its just too darn hot in Florida!

    Im in central florida! Its been raining a lot so i use the treadmill. but i do agree that it is tooooo hot lol
  • pawilliams1191
    pawilliams1191 Posts: 3
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    one other thing, a lot of treadmills have a "hills" program. try that if you need more excitement on the treadmill.....:)
  • lyndabraczynski
    lyndabraczynski Posts: 53
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    You are not alone...I cannot embrace the treadmill like I do outside running....so I do a higher incline and face paced walk but looking forward to spring if it ever gets here so I can go back to running outside...
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
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    I hate the treadmill and refuse to do it. It is boring, makes my legs hurt, and makes me feel like an off-balance idiot. I love love love to run outside, or even on a track if I have some good music.
  • BenderFitness
    BenderFitness Posts: 349
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    I run on both and there is definitely a difference. If you want to simulate outdoor running, and prevent over-extension of the back during the movement (this is common if you run toward the front of the treadmill) you should use a 2% incline while running on the treadmill.

    Personally I find treadmill running easier to maintain a fast pace (I can hit 19 minute 5Ks on the treadmill, and my outdoor race time isn't even close to that). I think it's in large part what you are used to, and the pace/incline you select. They are both beneficial, but I think running outside still tops the treadmill.
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,821 Member
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    I feel the same. I learned to run a 5K on the TM. But after I started running out side I noticed it actually took more effort to run at what was the "same" speed on the road.

    I have grown to hate the TM except for cold rainy days.

    I always set the incline from 2-6 for my long run pace of a 10 minute mile. Then my HRM seems to agree with the distance run, but not the speed.

    When was learning to run, I found that the steady pace allowed my to pick music for certain speeds. When I run on the street, I am never more than 20 seconds difference in my splits.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    I feel the same. I learned to run a 5K on the TM. But after I started running out side I noticed it actually took more effort to run at what was the "same" speed on the road.

    I have grown to hate the TM except for cold rainy days.

    I always set the incline from 2-6 for my long run pace of a 10 minute mile. Then my HRM seems to agree with the distance run, but not the speed.

    When was learning to run, I found that the steady pace allowed my to pick music for certain speeds. When I run on the street, I am never more than 20 seconds difference in my splits.

    I'm complete opposite. I can blow a 5K out of the water outside compared to the treadmill. 20:30-19:45 outside, easily 22-23 on the treadmill.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    I run better outdoors. I get hotter when on the treadmill cause there is only a pissy little fan on it. I need the sea breeze I get here outside. I miss running outside, I only di it on the treadmill cause of the heat outside. Now that it's almost over & done with I'll go back outside.

    Can't.....stand.....fans at the gym.
  • 11teacb
    11teacb Posts: 1
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    After growing up in the south and going to school in the northeast, I can still say that no matter the weather, hot or cold, I would rather be on the road than on the treadmill or the track, but I would rather skip running and throw in some other sustained cardio than run on a treadmill.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    I freakin HATE running on the treadmill!! When I first started running I mostly ran on the treadmill and was fine with it but as soon as I got used to running outside, running on the treadmill has been pure torture! It's not just the boredom, it's the fact that I can't regulate my own pace or even the incline very well. I get almost clausterphobic when I try to run for more than a few minutes at a time. GAH! Forget it... I'd much rather just cross train and do something else (bike, elilptical, stairs, strength) if I have to be inside.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    If boredom is your issue on the treadmill, you need to find a program to challenge yourself.
  • GiGiBeans
    GiGiBeans Posts: 1,062 Member
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    I'm still a novice runner (and actually was told not to run because of crappy knees) but like the incline treadmill. I really love a muddy or snowy track. Ooo and stairs and actual hills too. I don't notice an effort difference between any of them, maybe cause I rotate methods?
  • gettingfit65
    gettingfit65 Posts: 349 Member
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    I run on both and there is definitely a difference. If you want to simulate outdoor running, and prevent over-extension of the back during the movement (this is common if you run toward the front of the treadmill) you should use a 2% incline while running on the treadmill.

    Personally I find treadmill running easier to maintain a fast pace (I can hit 19 minute 5Ks on the treadmill, and my outdoor race time isn't even close to that). I think it's in large part what you are used to, and the pace/incline you select. They are both beneficial, but I think running outside still tops the treadmill.

    Maybe this is the cause of my back/rib cage pain?????
  • hannakengu
    hannakengu Posts: 79 Member
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    Currently I'm a big fan of the treadmill - the weather in northern Europe is pretty much awful, roads are covered with ice and then some water and slush on top of that. Walking to my car without breaking bones is challenging enough, so the treadmill is my friend for a month or two before weather gets reasonable.

    Even without the weather I might be a fan though, since my problem is that I start too fast and then get exhausted after 2 minutes and start hurting so bad I need to quit. No matter how many times I've tried the "this time I'll go reeeeal slow"-mindset, it always happens. Because of this, I started running on the treadmill in January, alternating fast walking and slooooow running and kept upping the running portion until I could run 30 minutes straight. Currently I'm trying to increase the speed by 0.1-0.2 kph every week or every other week, and also increase the time first to 45 and then to 60. I'm hoping to get to a reasonable speed before weather gets nicer, so I could run outside without feeling so frustrated with every. single. person. passing me on the track and scenery not changing fast enough (if I go too slow I feel like I'm not getting amywhere and I should go faster, and then I get exhausted, it's a cycle...) The boredom doesn't bother me at the gym because there's a tv in front of the treadmills, I always listen to music, and I have a very specific favourite treadmill I always pick when available, there's a tiny dot on the wall in front of it that I can stare at and just zone out with my music.

    I'm still planning on moving outside when weather gets ok, because of the fresh air, sun, different terrains and inclines, and because I generally feel more accomplished and proud of myself when I do run outside - I feel more like a "real runner".
  • HardcoreP0rk
    HardcoreP0rk Posts: 936 Member
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    I knocked out 10 miles on a treadmill once, and it was quite the mental battle. I think it has it's place of course. I find certain machines are better than others, particularly the Woodway.
  • woodsy0912
    woodsy0912 Posts: 323
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    I love both! I mix it up every day according to the weather.

    I do notice that I can get faster times on the treadmill. Sometimes I do get more bored, but like someone above stated, when I am really challenging myself, I don't get bored at all.

    But nothing beats running outside on a nice day! I just have to keep looking at my HRM to make sure I am exerting myself enough.

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