Running outside or on treadmill?

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LowCoffinLucifie
LowCoffinLucifie Posts: 100 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So im set to join the army arounf april, but i have to work on my running or lack there of.

I was wondering which would get me better at running faster. Would starting on thr treadmill first and them working my way outside be best? Or should i start outside to begin with?

I plan on using the c25k program, since it paces pretty well. I mostly have to work on my breathing above all else.

Replies

  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Is your army testing and training going to take place on a treadmill?
  • questionfear
    questionfear Posts: 527 Member
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    If you can run outside, run outside. I'm assuming your army test will be on a track and not on a treadmill. If you can't because of timing/cold/ice/whatever, the treadmill is ok BUT you do need to run outside a bit as well. Breathing, joint pounding, pacing, etc are all different outside, which is fine normally, but if you're aiming for a specific time you don't want to be doing those adjustments the day of your test.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    I think it's much harder to run outside than on a treadmill. I'd practice outside if your test will be on ground, and not a treadmill.
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
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    I haven't found a whole more difference in my times from treadmill to outside. I haven't been running long though. The weather is constantly cool, wet, and windy here so I end up on the treadmill about 80% of the time. My outside route has rolling hills, but I have found I can more or less maintain the same 6mph pace inside on the treadmill or outside...
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    I can run at the same pace on a treadmill or outside, but I can run longer outside. I think it's a mental thing because running for an hour or so on treadmill is poke-your-eyes-out boring.
  • xXxWhitneyxXx
    xXxWhitneyxXx Posts: 119 Member
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    I ran on a treadmill but only because I wasn't comfortable running in front of everyone else. Also ... I listen to music while running and sometimes I will kind of randomly blurt out a few words of which ever song I am listening to, which is fine unless someone hears your winded and strained lyrics and thinks your crazy. So I picked treadmill ... so no one else had to suffer my weirdness lol
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
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    Both. My runs depend on weather so when you can get outside, get out there, when you can't use a treadmill. I'm torn on the the 1% incline rule for running, but if c25K, I say set TM at 1% incline and go a speed you maintain your same HR to get your running in
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    In the army will you be running on the treadmill? Why not get acclimated to being out doors in various weather changes?

    So just get out there and try it or you can stay in doors, but getting suited for your new job and the environment where you be spending most your time, is where I would look to get mentally and physically in shape for.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Ideally you would want to train for an event (in this case the Army PT test) in the same manner the event will be performed. Running on a treadmill is fine for general exercise and for when the weather is just to foul to deal with...but running outdoors is a completely different animal.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Outside harder.....inside better/safer.
  • LowCoffinLucifie
    LowCoffinLucifie Posts: 100 Member
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    DavPul wrote: »
    Is your army testing and training going to take place on a treadmill?

    Thats pretty rude, no reason for sarcasm, im asking for best preparation practice.
  • LowCoffinLucifie
    LowCoffinLucifie Posts: 100 Member
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    In respomse to everyone above, ill take my chances amd try to start doing my runs outside rather than inside. Gonna be hard but i gotta get too it ;). Thank you for the advice.

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