Treadmill Love?

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The_Wallflower
The_Wallflower Posts: 111 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone prefer the treadmill over track/outside running? I’ve done the majority of my miles on the treadmill for years. I find outside running more exhausting. I hate that because I love the outdoors!

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  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,210 Member
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    Maybe your pace is too fast outside?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,900 Member
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    I haven't run since I got out of the military and no one could force me to run anymore, but when I did run, I preferred the track.

    I'm a walker now and find the treadmill very tedious. I love the outdoors - the more wild, the better. (I never walk on roads.) In fact, this time of year when my trails are soggy I focus on trail maintenance, and don't get in a lot of walking, but do move a lot of brush and briars.

    What do you find exhausting about outdoor running? Maybe a change of venue would be good?
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,117 Member
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    I prefer treadmill running:
    - ease of choosing speed and incline
    - nobody to mock me for going slow or having a bright red face from the exertion
    - no bad weather
    - no need to make myself presentable, I could just roll out of bed, put on any workout gear and start running, if I wanted to
    - probably better for my knees than running on the road
    - television to make sure I don't get bored

    Maybe I'll try outdoors again when I'm in better shape and the weather is better, but I'm very happy on my treadmill.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    The_Wallflower wrote: »
    Anyone prefer the treadmill over track/outside running? I’ve done the majority of my miles on the treadmill for years. I find outside running more exhausting. I hate that because I love the outdoors!

    If you do most of your running on the dreadmill this will never change. Too bad since you state that you like it outside.
  • Talan79
    Talan79 Posts: 782 Member
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    I prefer treadmill as well. I have my water, towel & can watch something. My outside pace is faster and I feel winded after I’m done. With outside you could also be dealing with elevation which makes it more challenging.
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
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    I like both. TM offers consistency unless you change speed/incline. I know exactly how far I've walked. If I get sick of walking I can just stop. If I'm 2 miles away out on a walk, I still have to walk back home whether I want to or not. :)
    But outdoors it's less boring and my town is very hilly so it offers a very good workout. But it's winter. :/ I'm not so much of a winter person anymore.
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
    edited January 2020
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    Running outside I've found is always far tougher than running on a treadmill.

    I put this down to not really needing to to propel yourself forward on a treadmill. On the treadmill your foot lands and the belt does much of the work of dragging your foot back whereas outside you need to do all the work getting one foot in front of the other.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
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    I enjoy both, though in the winter, I do like the ease with which I can get on the treadmill in my jammies without having to put my hair up, put on two pairs of pants a hoodie, a light jacket, gloves, hat, socks, shoes, a scarf and a running light. >_<
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    I hate the treadmill and love running outside, but given weather issues over the winter (ice is more my problem than cold), I'd like to be convinced to love the treadmill.
  • SweatsOnSunday
    SweatsOnSunday Posts: 514 Member
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    The_Wallflower wrote: »
    Anyone prefer the treadmill over track/outside running? I’ve done the majority of my miles on the treadmill for years. I find outside running more exhausting. I hate that because I love the outdoors!

    Outdoor running is much harder. Your feet hit the pavement differently than a cushioned treadmill, and the ground does not automatically move at a set mph.

    I love outdoor running, but as I've gotten older, I have started to run inside during the winter months. I've slipped on icy roads perhaps 10x, and it's always with a fear that I've fallen hard and gotten hurt. I've only fallen off a treadmill once -- true story, and that taught me to plug in my ear phones before I turned the machine on. :smile:
  • MPDean
    MPDean Posts: 99 Member
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    Outside for me. I don't like running and going nowhere and I sweat prolifically which is more unpleasant inside than out.
  • bearly63
    bearly63 Posts: 734 Member
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    I am addicted to running on the trails in my town. Treadmill running is a punishment that I will endure if needed. I am spoiled with pretty decent weather, although it does get Hades Hot in the summer. But then I just jump in the natural springs that are always 70 degrees and cool off.
  • fuzzylop_
    fuzzylop_ Posts: 100 Member
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    I (vastly) prefer treadmills for hill workouts, but for everything else I prefer an indoor track in winter or outside the rest of the time.
  • The_Wallflower
    The_Wallflower Posts: 111 Member
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    Thanks for all the input, y’all! Glad to see that my preference isn’t weird! Haha

    I am going to still push to be outside more, but my mill is still a friend to me. :)
  • autumnblade75
    autumnblade75 Posts: 1,660 Member
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    I wouldn't run if I didn't have my treadmill. I can't read all the fun information off my wrist during an outdoor run. I like to run outdoors in the rain, but not on ice, and not if it's 90 degrees in the summer. And there's bugs outside. I don't like inhaling the clouds of gnats. And you have to carry the water with you, or stash it somewhere, and then it's not handy when you want it. It sits nicely beside me while I'm on my 'mill, at home.

    I have exactly as much hill as I want, when I want it. And when I'm done, I just stop, and don't have to worry about getting back home. And I never have to worry about predators, human or animal. I don't have to wait until it's light out. I don't have to wear a shirt, if I don't want to.

    I love my treadmill.
  • MichelleWithMoxie
    MichelleWithMoxie Posts: 1,818 Member
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    I love outdoor running normally. However living in the DFW area here in Texas it is NOT runner/pedestrian friendly at all, so for the past few years I’ve primarily stuck to the TM. I don’t mind it, and feel much safer. I watch a lot of trashy reality tv while running which keeps it entertaining, but I miss being able to just hit the road right outside my front door. Texas pisses me off for a number of reasons, and this is just one of them. Counting down the days until I can GTFO this god awful state.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    I am a fair-weather outdoor running... can't be too hot (less than 20 Celcius) nor too cold (above 12 Celcius). hate too hot or too cold, so I do end up running more on a treadmill.

    I actually find I can go faster and longer outside though. Probably as I don't get as bored.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    fuzzylop_ wrote: »
    I (vastly) prefer treadmills for hill workouts, but for everything else I prefer an indoor track in winter or outside the rest of the time.

    It's good for that for me, mainly because it's pretty flat where I am. But even when I've been in a hilly area I can see the benefit of being able to control the length and steepness of the hills.

    It's also helpful for me in pushing speed. I tend to get set at a certain comfortable speed when running outside and I've found one thing helpful in increasing that basic speed is to do intervals on the treadmill regularly and get comfortable with some faster speeds. (Unlike others here I find I run at a nice pace outdoors, although music choice affects that, and on treadmills since I get bored with the long run at normal pace I have to do shorter but more intense runs with hill or speed intervals. My gym has those group treadmill classes, too, which I still kind of hate but have found to be a great workout when I do them.)

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