Treadmill vs. Pavement
devilwhiterose
Posts: 1,157 Member
My schedule only allows me to run in the evening, around 8:45pm.
During the summer, I had just a little bit of daylight left and it was perfect for an evening run.
Now that it's fall, I've moved my running indoors to the gym treadmill because of the shorter days...it's way too dark for me to run outside comfortably (coyotes, country backroads...etc)
I prefer pavement, but I think I'm going to be stuck indoors 4 days a week for the winter months. I have a half marathon in April (first one) that I'm nervous about. I'm already a sucky and asthmatic runner/walker. Has anyone trained on a treadmill? Would you go for higher grade, speed, distance? Any suggestions?
During the summer, I had just a little bit of daylight left and it was perfect for an evening run.
Now that it's fall, I've moved my running indoors to the gym treadmill because of the shorter days...it's way too dark for me to run outside comfortably (coyotes, country backroads...etc)
I prefer pavement, but I think I'm going to be stuck indoors 4 days a week for the winter months. I have a half marathon in April (first one) that I'm nervous about. I'm already a sucky and asthmatic runner/walker. Has anyone trained on a treadmill? Would you go for higher grade, speed, distance? Any suggestions?
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Get a headlamp and run outside.
You need to run longer to prepare for a distance race, not faster.0 -
Can you get outside and run at least one day a week? Maybe on the weekend? It's very difficult to train for a half on the treadmill.0
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Well, I have a halfday of work on Fridays. What do you think for M-TH treadmill and then planning a long run on Friday afternoons?
I'm such a chicken *kitten* with running in the dark in the country.0 -
If you can run outside it would be better. Running on a treadmill won't prepare you the same way that pounding the pavement will. I did a lot of treadmill work before my 1st half and I finished but felt a lot better on my second half when I did all my training outside.
I run with a headlamp when the light becomes an issue. I do understand the creepiness of running in the dark especially in remote areas. Coyotes generally won't mess with you unless you are running with a pocket full of meat or hotdogs. Just make sure someone else knows you run path so if you need to be picked up they will know exactly where to find you. And run with some mace or a nice stick if it makes you feel more secure.
Worst case at least try to get out on the road here and there. So you aren't exclusively on the treadmill.0 -
I generally hate the treadmill. I'm semi-following one of the Hal Higdon novice schedules to work up to the half.
Maybe I can do a couple short runs outside. It's so hard to get used to. Fields and woods makes me feel like something is going to come out and snatch me up. :laugh: I can save the longer runs for Friday and Saturday afternoons.0 -
Have you run on a treadmill before? If so, you should know how it compares for YOU to running outside. If not, try it and see how it compares. Most people say it's easier. On my old treadmill (a new and expensive NordicTrack one) it was HARDER. I had that treadmill replaced under warranty with a different, more expensive model, and now, it's EASIER on the treadmill. But not significantly so. I would say one run a week outside is plenty. I trained for my half last winter mostly outside. I hope to do the same half next April. I won't be doing most of it outside though - just a long run on weekends. I didn't really enjoy blue lips and ice covering my face LOL. I think ideally running outside is better, but I think it's perfectly doable to use a treadmill for much of your training. They're not all long runs after all.
I live in Michigan so it's cold and snowy. Here's what I looked like most of last winter LOL:
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I generally hate the treadmill. I'm semi-following one of the Hal Higdon novice schedules to work up to the half.
Maybe I can do a couple short runs outside. It's so hard to get used to. Fields and woods makes me feel like something is going to come out and snatch me up. :laugh: I can save the longer runs for Friday and Saturday afternoons.
Oh, my other suggestion is to drive to a park to run. The park I run at is still pretty rural, but there are always other people there at least.0 -
I fight with this every winter. Central Mass, living in the relative sticks with no sidewalks, and the already narrow roads have even less width with the snow and ice. When I was first starting, I relied on a treadmill, but after a couple of years, I started looking for areas in town, or around my work (slightly larger roads) that would permit keeping it outside. I found that the high school track actually stays quite clear as it sits in an open area with lots of wind. While the track is still not the same as pavement/asphalt, it's still better than the treadmill.
Might be worth a shot anyway.0 -
Well, I have a halfday of work on Fridays. What do you think for M-TH treadmill and then planning a long run on Friday afternoons?
I'm such a chicken *kitten* with running in the dark in the country.
That would definitely help a lot!
If you could find a running partner that would help even more -- the camaraderie will keep you motivated and you'll also feel safer.0 -
No dice on a running partner. They're all talk but no action. I enjoy the evening, it's a great de-stresser after a day.
I didn't even think of running at the high school track! I'll have to check that out tonight and see what it looks like. Thank you for that suggestion!0 -
I do both, but I have learned they are different. You should definately do your long run outside if possible. I have found for me that running on the treadmill does not help me learn to pace myself (speed is already set) and that when I am outside running I tend to run at that pace in the beginning on my long run. It does not work out very well. It also uses different muxcles, etc. on the treadmill. I have one that is awesome and the incline adjusts to whatever map you have programmed into it form google maps, but it is still not the same as outside. I am glad I have it, though. I still do both. Good luck with the half. Keep running!0
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When I trained for my first half the only run I didn't do on a treadmill (unless for whatever reason I missed it. Doing 10+ miles on the treadmill sucks. Oh, and so does smacking the STOP button when you're partway through and having everything you did erased :grumble: ) was my long run. All my other training was done indoors on the treadmill.
But then again my long run was done on Sunday so I was able to do it any time.
ETA: As far as speed and all that goes even though I was running on a treadmill my time increased a LOT, even when I ran outside.0 -
I have done four half marathons (a fifth in less than two weeks) and I am approaching the 1:40 mark. I do most of my runs on the treadmill. I enjoy my outdoor long runs (I don't just leave my home and run--I trek out to a place in the city where it's scenic and beautiful and inspiring). Who knows--maybe if I did more outdoor runs I'd be closer to 1:30. Somehow, I doubt it.
But I enjoy treadmill running. There's usually something on tv that I enjoy and I love my music.
Do what you feel you can and don't feel like you're exerting less effort.0 -
Get a headlamp and run outside.
This is exactly what I do in the winter months. Back out behind our housing development it's very rural. Fields, dirt roads, woods, and no lighting whatsoever. I never see anything but skunks, coyotes, rabbits, and cattle out there. You're going to feel a tad spooked the first time or so but when you get used to it you're going to really love running at night with a headlamp. It's very calming.0 -
Get a headlamp and run outside.
This is exactly what I do in the winter months. Back out behind our housing development it's very rural. Fields, dirt roads, woods, and no lighting whatsoever. I never see anything but skunks, coyotes, rabbits, and cattle out there. You're going to feel a tad spooked the first time or so but when you get used to it you're going to really love running at night with a headlamp. It's very calming.
And the best part is, on those rare nights when it's crystal clear and the moon is full, you can just turn the headlamp off and run by moonlight. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, like it.0 -
Get a headlamp and run outside.
This is exactly what I do in the winter months. Back out behind our housing development it's very rural. Fields, dirt roads, woods, and no lighting whatsoever. I never see anything but skunks, coyotes, rabbits, and cattle out there. You're going to feel a tad spooked the first time or so but when you get used to it you're going to really love running at night with a headlamp. It's very calming.
Except when you're running along and you hit a huge pothole and end up busting up your leg.
Where I live there are mammoth potholes that can swallow cars. Even when driving a car at night, high beams on you can't see these caverns which really sucks. When I run outside during the day I have to keep my eyes on the road directly in front of me so I don't fall into one.:grumble:0 -
You can train primarily inside, but be sure to run at least once a week on the surface you will be racing on. You need your body to prepare for that kind of 'hardness'.0
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My gym doesn't want you on a piece of equipment for longer than an hour. That's 6 miles or maybe a little bit more for me. I couldn't train for a half without getting outside never mind the marathon I want to run next year. I've be running at night with a reflective vest and a head lamp when I run at night, but I'm a boy and we don't have coyotes so I feel a little bit safer. I started running on the treadmill but I'll run outside, in the dark, in the rain instead of a treadmill now, I just enjoy it more.
You'll want a very small incline running on the treadmill, my gym's treadmills go by a number which I don't think corresponds with an incline (at least not 1 to 1 degree) so I do 0.5 the smallest incline it will do.
I am seriously dreading the winter because I don't want to run inside.0 -
Get a headlamp and run outside.
This is exactly what I do in the winter months. Back out behind our housing development it's very rural. Fields, dirt roads, woods, and no lighting whatsoever. I never see anything but skunks, coyotes, rabbits, and cattle out there. You're going to feel a tad spooked the first time or so but when you get used to it you're going to really love running at night with a headlamp. It's very calming.
And the best part is, on those rare nights when it's crystal clear and the moon is full, you can just turn the headlamp off and run by moonlight. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, like it.0 -
In cold weather areas (I’m in Ohio), I think you get the mileage wherever you can in the winter. I do a lot of night running on pavement due to a busy family schedule, but as a male, I am not as concerned about running alone out in the dark. But if it is too snowy or icy outside, I’d rather endure the treadmill than bust my a** and get injured!0
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Get a headlamp and run outside.
This is exactly what I do in the winter months. Back out behind our housing development it's very rural. Fields, dirt roads, woods, and no lighting whatsoever. I never see anything but skunks, coyotes, rabbits, and cattle out there. You're going to feel a tad spooked the first time or so but when you get used to it you're going to really love running at night with a headlamp. It's very calming.
Full moon runs are awesome. I love running when it is quiet and no one else is out and about.0 -
I was also going to mention a high school track as well. Usually they have bright lights.
For whatever it's worth, one of my closest friends ran the Boston Marathon and she did a lot of training on a treadmill. She would do it while her kids were sleeping. She finished the marathon in good time.
I guess it's just about what works for you.0 -
Have you run on a treadmill before? If so, you should know how it compares for YOU to running outside. If not, try it and see how it compares. Most people say it's easier. On my old treadmill (a new and expensive NordicTrack one) it was HARDER. I had that treadmill replaced under warranty with a different, more expensive model, and now, it's EASIER on the treadmill. But not significantly so. I would say one run a week outside is plenty. I trained for my half last winter mostly outside. I hope to do the same half next April. I won't be doing most of it outside though - just a long run on weekends. I didn't really enjoy blue lips and ice covering my face LOL. I think ideally running outside is better, but I think it's perfectly doable to use a treadmill for much of your training. They're not all long runs after all.
I live in Michigan so it's cold and snowy. Here's what I looked like most of last winter LOL:
Are you a ninja?0 -
I trained for a half marathon last year primarily on the treadmill because I live in Texas, and running in the heat after work was a huge no no for me. As long as you set the incline up a little, and do your long runs outdoors, you should do fine.0
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I train both, I'm in NC and running outside during the summer months was nearly impossible unless it was at 5:30 am, so if I didn't make that run time, I had to run on the treadmill, or risk passing out in the 90+ degree weather. Right now we're in a rainy mess, so most of my runs this week except for my long run will be on the treadmill. I find the treadmill to be quite miserable for me, mainly because I get bored, but I do find that it helps me pace myself, which is something I struggle with outdoors. I tend to set my treadmill on a 2-3% incline while running indoors or put it on a "random" program so I do get some incline. I can't say if its good or bad, I think its about preference.
However, if you're following one of Hal Higdon's novice programs you should only be running 4 days a week with 1 day of crosstraining. I do my weekday runs on T,W,Th, and long run on Sat, but you could do W,Th,F (this one outside since you said you have a half day) with a long run on Sunday. That way you get 2 runs a week outside. I feel well prepared for my half with running only 4 times a week. You also have 7 months until your half, so that should be PLENTY of time to train, and you should have some time with it getting lighter before the half to do most of your long runs outside as well.0 -
I have to do a lot of my training on the dreadmill. Up your incline 1 to 2% and hunker down for a long and boring run.0
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Maybe I can do a couple short runs outside. It's so hard to get used to. Fields and woods makes me feel like something is going to come out and snatch me up. :laugh: I can save the longer runs for Friday and Saturday afternoons.
OP...I'm with you on this one. I live in a remote area too and am scared of coyotes, skunks, cougars and who knows what else is hiding out there. What about the weekend? Can you get a longer run in then? Maybe Saturday or Sunday morning??0 -
I would be afraid to run at night myself as well especially if you aren't used to it and are unsure if it is safe. The very mention of coyotes and potholes has me worried. I think if you do some of your running on the treadmill you'll be fine. If you can manage to do your long runs on the weekend that would be great too this way you get some pavement running in. While on the treadmill, you could incorporate some sprint intervals to mix it up a bit. I usually increase the speed for a couple of minutes to sprint when I'm on the treadmill.0
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Personally I love both. I can get a good workout walking on a treadmill just as much as I can walking on pavement. If I wanted to pick between the two it would be the pavement. Just because of the scenery where I live everything is changing (the leaves etc) fall is happening and I love it. Now winter time I will say that the treadmill is my best friend. But during fall, spring, and summer I prefer going out and walking on the pavement. Either way as long as you are burning calories that's all that matters.0
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