treadmill vs Street running

[Guest]

I live in the mid west, and it is starting to get cold and we even had 4 inches of snow today. WHen I run I slip, so I am trying to find and alternate way of running. I was wondering if running on a treadmill for 60 mins will do me just as good as running on the street. I really am not worried about the mental part of it as far as people saying, " you will go crazy, and you can not look at any thing". I kinda go into my own world when I run any way. So I am just wondering if can I physically become as strong running an hour on the treadmill, as I would the street.

[abinferno]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

Theoretically you can do just as well on a treadmill, you can even adjust the incline level. I find that I usually cannot run as fast on a treadmill, though. So, I'm not getting as much out of it. It's just too boring, like a mouse on a wheel. I even hate running more than a mile around a track. I have to do street running.

[Guest]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

what are you doing? you are asking a question that is soooo loaded that these bb nurds will not do justice to your query. ultimately, they will blame shift and finger point, namedrop and attack each other via ad hominem insults, all while ignoring the propriety of your question. I find your question particularly boring because you can't possibly be seeking any real usable advice or even insight. It reminds me of small talk on a bad date.

Of course, it would be silly to get a street run in on icy streets where one might injure oneself by slipping. Thus, I guess your options are:
1. run inside on a circuit of some sort.
2 ride stationary bike
3. run the stairs on some downtown skyscraper
4 and of course, you can run the treadmill

You choose your poison.
Ask something good. don't squander your 15 minutes of fame...

Eddies back

[Guest]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

From the West coast, Live in the midwest now.I do not know what the hell you just put but that is as simple as I can put it. I do not want to run in (-) degree weather and was just wondering if I should just put on my sweaters and deal witih the cold or take the safe, WARM way out and go to the gym and run on the treadmill.

[MJD]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

>I live in the mid west, and it is starting to
>o get cold and we even had 4 inches of snow
>today. WHen I run I slip, so I am trying to find
>and alternate way of running. I was wondering if
>running on a treadmill for 60 mins will do me
>just as good as running on the street. I really
>am not worried about the mental part of it as far
>as people saying, " you will go crazy, and you
>can not look at any thing". I kinda go into my
>own world when I run any way. So I am just
>wondering if can I physically become as strong
>running an hour on the treadmill, as I would the
>street.

My take on it is that the variable conditions and dealing with same helps with the mental aspect of the sport which is such an important component
but if you are going to spend some time on a treadmill, use one that you can elevate slightly and use a 1% grade which makes up for the fact that there is no wind resistance. Treadmill training was an important component of Kristiansen's training and it didn't hurt her much. You can test the grade by running at the same pace outside and in with a HR monitor on.

[Cerutty Boy]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

There are several important differences to consider when moving from the streets to the treadmill:
1.Muscle injuries can result from treadmill running, even among those who run regularly (see 3). If your legs are not conditioned to running on a treadmill, start slowly.
2.Be sure to adjust for the lack of air resistance by setting the incline at "1"
3.The running mechanics are slightly different, since the belt moves under the runner, rather then the runner moving over the ground. I believe that this exercises the muscles in a different fashion, one that is less specific to running over the ground.
4.Running on a quality treadmill generally involves less pounding than do streets and paved walks, so you may be spared somewhat in terms of overuse injuries.
5.If you can run faster then the treadmill belt will turn, increase the incline.

In my own experience, treadmill running is best for tempo workouts, since the belt can be set at a fast constant pace (although not generally faster then 12 mi/h). Holding your pace is therefore easy - as long as you can keep your hand from the console! You can maintain your fitness through the winter on a treadmill, but such a program would cause a certain deficiencies. There is something to be gained by fighting the cold, snow, and wind!

[Guest]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

When on the treadmill put on a good movie. It is a perfect activity to do while watching the boob tube.

[Guest]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

"Treadmill training was an important component of Kristiansen's training"

She ran her 10K WR after a winter of treadmill running and credited it as an important part of her total training regimen.

[Guest]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

THANK YOU for all of your answers

[Guest]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

see? looks like eddies front/ eddies back was correct. These bb pundits never answered your question! Your question was will you become as strong running on the treadmill as you would if running the street. these fools they told you to do both, when your question was a "which one" type. One jerk even told you to go out and risk serious injury braving the cold...some other cat spews technical-sounding balderdash, i guess to imporess you with his lack of study of the science of fitness for off-season athletes.

So if you are a runner, then you will run. Experiment, be flexible and pragmatic. Train smart and avoid injury from dumb activities, like running on ice...

Come back Eddie. Come Back!

[Cerutty Boy]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

>see? looks like eddies front/ eddies back was
>correct. These bb pundits never answered your
>question! Your question was will you become as
>strong running on the treadmill as you would if
>running the street. these fools they told you to
>do both, when your question was a "which one"
>type. One jerk even told you to go out and risk
>serious injury braving the cold...some other cat
>spews technical-sounding balderdash, i guess to
>imporess you with his lack of study of the
>science of fitness for off-season athletes.

"You can maintain your fitness through the winter on a treadmill"

Even if this answer was not explicit enough, it and others like it are no more than one degree of separation from the thread originator's question. In any case, the originator seemed satisfied with the responses. Even if the some responses were off track, each adds something to the discussion and was informative in some way - which is more than can be said for your malicious postings.

[Guest]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

MidWest (original poster):

One piece of information that would be helpful is what your goals are.

Is your goal simply to achieve a good level of fitness and stay in shape, or is your goal to improve as a competitive runner?

If your goal is simply fitness, I think the treadmill is fine.

However, if you are a competitive runner trying to improve (i.e. lower your times), I think the street is the way to go. As several previous posters have noted, there is a slight physiological difference between running on a treadmill and running on a non-moving surface. In order to run well on a track or cross-country course (i.e. non-moving surface), it is necessary to train on a non-moving surface.

The example mentioned by several other posters of the elite runner who trained on the treadmill is an interesting one; however, I think it's more the exception than the rule.

[Guest]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

Mid-West Runner -

As a guy who sells treadmills for a living, I can offer you a few tips:

1. Don't worry about the incline at 1% for compensate for (lack of) wind resistance - your pace will still not be equivalant to outside and the constant running uphill may cause unnessary form breaks.

2. Yes you can maintain cardiovascular fitness on a treadmill (or Elliptical for that matter) - but the pounding on the treadmill is MUCH less than outdoors - regardless of the model - so give yourself a few weeks in the spring before hammering away to allow your legs and hips to adjust to the hard pavement.

3. Buy a HR monitor and use it (rather than the touch feature on club models). If you get your heart rate to it's "outside" level your good to go.

4. If your like me you will sweat a ton on a treadmill - be hydrated if going long.

5. If possible run with a mirror in front of you - helps with centering on treadmill and gives you more feeling of movement - plus you get to stare at your ugly mug for a hour straight...

I've done several 2 hour runs on a treadmill and while not as enjoyable as the outdoors it beats the ice. I still venture outside when possible. Finally, don't expect your treadmill "times" to extrapolate to outdoor times. My experience has been approx. 1-2 minutes slower over a 10K on the roads in the spring vs. my "treadmill time".

[6 5.5hjsteve]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

el supremo, thanks for those tips. I'm thinking of dropping a grand and buying one myself.

You are not trying to sell anything here to anyone, so any other tips ? Are the top-top of the line models worth the extra $ 500 ? If a person is going to be running 9's or 9:30's for 3-4 miles, 3 or 4 times a week, mainly just in the winter, is it really needed to go top of the line ?

[Guest]

Re: treadmill vs Street running

Steve -

I sell commercial units to clubs/YMCA's, etc. and they run 4-6k - haven't kept completely up-to-date on home models, but depending on your weight/height, etc. $1500 is a good starting point. Much below that and you are getting into cheaper ones more for walking (despite what they might say). Also more expensive usually means better electronics to maintain consistent speed control, etc.

Without doing all the research, some top brands for the home are:

Pacemaster
Precor
Lifefitness
True
Bodymaster
Vision

I'm sure I missed other good brands.

If you live in a larger city/town you could visit a specialty store and try a few out - most locations will give you free reign for a test run.

Also - try to spend the least possible on electronics - get the model with less programing and more substance - runners rarely use anything other than manual - the rest is for walkers.

Good option - ask your nearest club/YMCA where they buy their units - then get ahold of the dealer and get a refurbished commercial unit - no warranty but they are tanks, and the commercial dealers usually have low overhead and are willing to cut you a deal to move a refurbished unit.

If buying refurbished - look for a new deck/belt being installed, and ask about milage on unit (dealers know how to look it up in the electronics).

Good luck!