Jogging on treadmill vs outside

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  • purplechic
    purplechic Posts: 15 Member
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    Treadmill is so much harder mentally for me (so boring!). 30 mins on a treadmill feels like eternity..and 1 hour is... like soul destroying. Physically as well, I've noticed I get shin splints on treadmill (heel striking probably?). And after a workout, I always feel wobbly like I've been on a boat or something (motion sickness). I use a treadmill maybe three/four times a year. I avoid it if I can.

    I can feel my legs doing a bit more work when running outside due to the variable inclines and terrain. And running on pavement/concrete certainly gives me knees a pounding. Plus I get to play with my pace without having to push different buttons and getting worried about not being able to keep up and then doing a face plant on the ground (greatest fear on the treadmill!)
  • DFWTT
    DFWTT Posts: 374
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    Treadmill...all mental, especially approaching 6 miles. Road running...more physical. Combat the lack of physical treadmill training with HIGH resistance crosstraining on the strider/elliptical. Personally, I use over half of the available resistance on these doing random hills for 60min. YMMV. Last 10k, hills were a breeze with the exception of a 25mph headwind.
  • cindy4mica
    cindy4mica Posts: 777 Member
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    All I know is when I run outside, my lungs feel like they're on fire & I have to stop because I can't catch a full breath. When I'm doing cardio indoors, I don't have that problem.
  • MaynardLD50
    MaynardLD50 Posts: 36 Member
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    I pretty much learned how to run on a treadmill during my journey thus far. Last week I decided to do a warm up jog before doing my HIIT 40 Yard Sprints and holy crap was it a LOAD harder. I'm pretty sure I was running at a 7 - 7.5 speed, which seemed slow still, and I learned that I really need to pace my breathing. That being said I agree that I wasn't bored while running, although sometimes Maury is on when I run so "YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER" is pretty damn hilarious :)
  • momtozmc
    momtozmc Posts: 418 Member
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    For me... way more easy to run outside than on the treadmill! i can run almost 4.5 to 5 miles at 5.8 to 6 mph outside... and on the treadmill, I can barely make 5.0 mph... hate hate hate the dreaded treadmill....
  • Zombriana
    Zombriana Posts: 764 Member
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    For me, it's easier to run on a treadmill. I have awful breathing problems outside when I run around, unless it's winter and everything is dead. lol
    But also, because the treadmill helps me pace myself better, when I'm outside I tend to run faster and it tires me out quicker.
  • 51powerski
    51powerski Posts: 66 Member
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    Get outside. There is a gorgeous planet out there to explore, infinitely better to run around it than on some contraption like a hamster in a wheel. Even city centres can be awesome if you go out early before all the traffic.

    Buy yourself a GPS watch if your need to keep an eye on pace or like to see how much you burn off.

    Plus outside is free.
  • kimmyj74
    kimmyj74 Posts: 223 Member
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    I prefer outside WITHOUT sidewalks. Country smells and sights are the best. I also run faster outside. Not sure why, but it's all good :bigsmile:
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Outside is physically harder at first, the treadmill is harder mentally because of the boredom and heat and having to maintain a constant speed. Once you adjust to outside, it's SO much easier as you can go at exactly the pace that suits you for where you are at that time, and watching and feeling the seasons passing is a welcome distraction.

    If you live in the countryside and there are no sidewalks, are there paths and trails you could run along, or fields to run around? For us urbanites, that's the kind of environment that makes us very jealous!

    One word of caution, treadmill running, even at an incline, will never prepare you for an outside run or race.
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
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    I do both and find outside to be harder physically due to the hills and such. I think its good to do both if you can. There is nowhere to run where I live (same as you, no sidewalks) but where I work is a great bike path through the woods) so I occasionally change clothes after work and run the bike path. Fortunately the weather has been unseasonably nice lately, nice to get out of the boring gym. I do notice after a few days of running outside that the treadmill is a lot easier and I can jog faster than the time before.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    "If you live in the countryside and there are no sidewalks, are there paths and trails you could run along, or fields to run around? For us urbanites, that's the kind of environment that makes us very jealous! "

    We have a field (40 acres) but unless I want to break an ankle, I won't be running around it LOL. And no, no paths or trails here. All farmland. I'll trade places with you...an urban environment sounds awesome to me :-)
  • SuperSnoopy
    SuperSnoopy Posts: 3,464 Member
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    Deffinately harder jogging outside than on a tred mill, no doubt about that.
  • persilcolours
    persilcolours Posts: 92 Member
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    What?! I love the treadmill. Reliable, it's never cold, you know exactly how far and how fast you're going -- and you don't have to make sure you're running during daylight since you're inside.

    When I have dabbled in outdoor running, I find that it IS so much harder, I run way too quickly, but my endurance increases much faster than if I run on a treadmill. If I can bang out 5 miles outside, I can usually run about 7 on the treadmill -- so that's my ratio.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    What?! I love the treadmill. Reliable, it's never cold, you know exactly how far and how fast you're going -- and you don't have to make sure you're running during daylight since you're inside.

    When I have dabbled in outdoor running, I find that it IS so much harder, I run way too quickly, but my endurance increases much faster than if I run on a treadmill. If I can bang out 5 miles outside, I can usually run about 7 on the treadmill -- so that's my ratio.

    Ooh, numbers...my favorite LOL. But that's a good rule of thumb for me to start by until I figure out what my ratio would be.
  • SanyamKaushik
    SanyamKaushik Posts: 215 Member
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    I find it easier to run on treadmill than outdoors.
    May be terrain is a bit hilly around my home but I suspect, its not just the terrain... One comparison is that I can run 5 km on treadmill but outdoors 1 km and oh boy :embarassed:
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    I find it easier to run on treadmill than outdoors.
    May be terrain is a bit hilly around my home but I suspect, its not just the terrain... One comparison is that I can run 5 km on treadmill but outdoors 1 km and oh boy :embarassed:

    OK, your ratio I don't like LOL. But thanks!
  • NicolioRussell
    NicolioRussell Posts: 273
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    I think that jogging outside is harder. It's a lot harder on my knees and hips to run on the pavement than on the treadmill. As a beginner runner, I like to mix both up. I wouldn't want to be a one note. If I only run inside, then I'll always find outside running to be painful.
  • alysonleanne
    alysonleanne Posts: 65
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    Its way harder outside until you learn to pace yourself. You tend to run much faster and the hills show up whenever they want not when you want!!

    This is very true...I live on a mountain in the city which has MULTIPLE hills on said mountain...wish I could time it to when I want them, but you just can't ever figure it out! I prefer outdoors vs. treadmill, as I'm EXTREMELY bored on the treadmill (unless there's a show on that I like, and there's a TV near). I don't have a TV in my basement, which is where my treadmill is, so I just take it outdoors unless the weather is crazy.
  • scapez
    scapez Posts: 2,018 Member
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    I "learned" to run outside and have done the great majority of my running on a local rails-to-trails trail so it's essentially all I know. I have done the treadmill a few times recently and if it *was* easier than running outside I didn't notice it because it was extremely mentally challenging - the boredom (no place for my eyes or mind to go) and getting overheated made it a dreadful experience...one that I would be hard pressed to do again.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Easier on the treadmill, harder, or the same? I am treadmill only since I live in the country and there are no sidewalks and I'm wondering if it's harder outdoors or not.

    MUCH more difficult on the treadmill. I hate it passionately.

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