Couch to 5K on the Treadmill?

I've been doing C25K on the treadmill. I'm on Week 6 now. I use the C25K Lite android app on my tablet, for cues when to walk and run. There are number of apps and podcasts which can be useful, but I haven't really explored the alternatives much.

I did a c25k modified for the treadmill. Wasn't much different.

Do yourself a favor and change the incline periodically. I run with the incline from 0-3 when I need to use the treadmill.

I started on the elliptical, because I was worried about my knees. After a couple weeks, I started over on the treadmill. I transitioned to outdoor running on the end of week 3 on the treadmill, because the weather was so nice. There is no problem with running it on the treadmill, but just know that you will face an extra challenge when transitioning to outdoor running. Treadmills and outdoor running use slightly different muscle combinations.

I started C25K in Dec 2010, did the first two days outside, then got hit with back to back to back snow and ice storms. Did the rest on the treadmill. When the weather got nice again, I moved outdoors again.

On c25k.com there's a treadmill friendly version that you can print out, that tells you when to walk and when to run. Use the "speed interval" setting and set your jog speed to your walk speed, and the run speed to your run speed, then you just have to push the one button when you switch, rather than manually adjusting the speed up and down.

Ok, how do you not fly off the treadmill when running? I have an awful time keeping my balance and I look like an idiot. I want to do the Couch to 5K but can't seem to get a run going on there.

practice makes perfect

If you have an mp3 player, I would definitely recommend a podcast to give you running/walking cues. I tried just writing the times on a paper and watching the timer, but it made it a lot harder. Good luck with it!
[/quote]

Great advice!!! Gonna work on it right now!

You can definitely do it on a treadmill and that's great if the weather is bad. However if you can get outside I'd strongly recommend you give it a go. For me it seems far less of a chore when outside and time seems to pass much more quickly. I think this is because on the treadmill you can can't avoid looking at how long you've been running for (and therefore how long you've got left!) whereas outside you can easily avoid looking at the clock and measure your progress by passing landmarks along the route.

For everyone that says they have done it on the treadmill what pace do you run at?

Ok, how do you not fly off the treadmill when running? I have an awful time keeping my balance and I look like an idiot. I want to do the Couch to 5K but can't seem to get a run going on there.

When I started on the treadmill, I had horrible balance. Between running and doing other leg muscle building cardio (arc trainer), my balance has improved 95%. I can still wobble occasionally when I am wiping the sweat off my face.

I tried it on the treadmill and failed miserably. I could not get into a "jog" motion until I had the treadmill going so fast that I could not breathe (about 4.0 mph). I'm very out of shape and have poor cardio endurance, so that didn't help. Like others, I had concerns about my balance. There was just something about "jogging" on the treadmill that did not feel right. So, I tried it again on unmoving ground, using the advice on the C25k website, which is to jog as slowly as possible. Voila! Week 1 complete!

I am not ready to go on to Week 2 and I probably won't be for several more weeks. But I would encourage others who have a hard time doing it on the treadmill to give it a try OFF the treadmill before giving up. If I can do Week 1, ANYONE can do Week 1.