10K training primarily on treadmill

Snipsa
Snipsa Posts: 172 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

Just wanted to get some tips/advice.

I would love to run my first 10K in November/December but unfortunately recently moved to an area where running outside is not safe/advisable.

Would it be possible to train for a 10K on a treadmill (with the possibility of 2 to 3 5K outdoor races to get used to road races, before December)? My goal is nothing too fancy, I would like to complete a 60-70 minute 10K with minimal/no walking...

What should I add to the treadmill workout to better simulate outdoor running?

PS. If all goes well in the 10K my next goal is a half marathon by March of next year, and the same limitation will probably still exist. So, will it be possible to train for half marathon on a treadmill?

Replies

  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    I did the majority of training for a half marathon on a dread mill and it was awful. My body got so use to the dread mill absorbing my run that when I got to pavement I regretted it.
    The next day all my joints were so so so sore and I really messed up my IT band where I couldn't run for 3 months.
    Do you know someone oin a better neighborhood you could go on a weekly run with? Does your gym have a track you could use?
  • CincyNeid
    CincyNeid Posts: 1,249 Member
    I was just about to suggest maybe driving to a safer area and running there. I know there is more than one runner that does that....
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It's definitely not optimal...you're not going to be able to really simulate wind resistance and your body won't really be used to the kind of pounding of actual pavement. I know a lot of runners who definitely incorporate treadmill work, particularly when weather is foul and also to keep a base of mileage in winter but I don't know any who train exclusively on a treadmill.

    Is there any way you could venture out and drive somewhere for some outdoor training and maybe just switch off...I'm thinking you are going to be hurting just running on a treadmill and then hitting a 10K on pavement when your body isn't used to that kind of ground and pound.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited September 2016
    I have to agree. You will severely regret doing the vast majority of your training on a treadmill. The mechanics are simply not the same as well as the regular surface vs. an outdoor running surface. Using the treadmill occasionally is fine but I'd highly suggest that if you want to run road races that you do the majority of your training on the road.

    Are there any walking or biking paths you can drive to? Another neighborhood you could run in? A local park? When I start getting to the point that my long runs are exceeding 8 miles I usually run them on a multi-use path that I can access about 9 miles from my house. It also happens to be between home and work so I'll sometimes use it in the winter after work on my way home, too (it's too hot here to run in the afternoons from March to November).
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,984 Member
    Because the belt helps to move you along, and most treadmills have a decent shock absorbancy, it's hardly even similar at all to outside running. You can do it to build up your endurance, but actual pounding that your legs and joints take would need to be trained by actually running on ground.

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  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    In addition to what everyone else said, training indoors (even on a track) does not prepare you for running outdoors in less than perfect weather. If you train in a temperature controlled environment and you get what I'd consider normal November/December temperatures for the race, you will be running much less efficiently and with more discomfort (pain might or might not be too strong a word) than if you ran outside and acclimated to the weather as the seasons change.

    I recall the biggest challenge I faced in running a 5K at 25º F (-4º C) was when we had an abnormally warm November and early December, and race day was the first day that even resembled winter weather. I could feel my running being affected by what I wouldn't normally consider cold weather, and I ran almost a minute slower than a 5K I'd run in October. That was all because I hadn't been able to acclimate to the conditions that happened on race day. In my case, it was bad luck with what the weather did; but if you do most of your training indoors, you practically guarantee a similar phenomenon.

    If you have never run outside in cold weather, I'd also be concerned about not being able to test different clothing as the weather turns to winter. That could lead to a clothing mistake on race day, which can cause issues ranging from mild discomfort to hypothermia.

    If you happen to live in the southern hemisphere . . . there is a corresponding acclimatization issue with heat and humidity. I ran at 90º F (32º C) with high humidity a lot of times this summer, then had no problems with 82º F (28º C) and high humidity for a 5K in August. Runners who trained indoors because of the heat and humidity tended to hit a wall somewhere around 2 miles on race day.
  • Snipsa
    Snipsa Posts: 172 Member
    Firstly, thank you everybody for the replies. You all pretty much said what my brain thought, but my heart didn't want to hear.


    I guess I'll pack my running gear in to work, and run immediately after work in that area (which is significantly safer, with quite a number of runners running there at all times of the day). I just wanted to avoid this, as I am much more of a morning exerciser than an afternoon one ;-)
    MobyCarp wrote: »

    If you happen to live in the southern hemisphere . . . there is a corresponding acclimatization issue with heat and humidity. I ran at 90º F (32º C) with high humidity a lot of times this summer, then had no problems with 82º F (28º C) and high humidity for a 5K in August. Runners who trained indoors because of the heat and humidity tended to hit a wall somewhere around 2 miles on race day.

    Just as a fyi, I do happen to live in the Southern hemisphere (South Africa) and seeing as we've been having the warmest September that I can recall (32-34C on any given day) I cannot imagine how hot December is going to be, so weather considerations was one of my main worries about training exclusively indoors.


    Thanks again for the advice all!
  • olymp1a
    olymp1a Posts: 1,766 Member
    Running outside and on the treadmill is completely different for your body. You would probably struggle at the 10K race ans 2-3 5k races won't really help.

    Is there any possibility to go 1-2 times per week (maybe on weekends/days off) somewhere to run outside?

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