Street Running

[kev9154]

I’m now in week 2 of consolidation after C25K which was almost all done on the treadmill, but today I finally bit the bullet and did 5K on the streets round my house. Last time I tried this I only managed 2.5K but that was during W7 of programme and so haven’t tried again.

There is a nice little 1K lap with slight downhill then slightly steeper uphill section at the end and I was delighted to do the 5K in just over 29min, which is pretty much my treadmill pace, but after my warm down my hamstrings now feel like they’ve been shot...

Question is, does road running get easier or should I look for a flatter route for my first excursions on the road and build up to this route? All advice appreciated 👍

[Buddy34 Graduate10]

Brilliant run and under 30 minutes. 👏👏

I've always ran outside so don't know any different but I'm sure the more you run outdoors the better it will get.

Well done you 😊👍

[kev9154 Graduate10 in reply to Buddy34]

Thanks

[Eightpaws 60minGraduate]

Well done on your outdoor run!

[kev9154 Graduate10 in reply to Eightpaws]

Thanks

[Grannyhugs Graduate10]

Great effort doing sub 5k on the road. I do all my running outside, admire anyone who can use a treadmill for any length of time. Hills will certainly build strength and you’ll learn to love them but do build up carefully with plenty stretches after each run. Happy running 🤗

[kev9154 Graduate10 in reply to Grannyhugs]

Love hills.....not so sure after today but I’ll keep at it. Thanks

[RainRunner33]

When you run outside, you're using your muscles in a different way than when you run on a treadmill. On a treadmill, you basically only have to lift your legs because the 'ground' moves beneath you, but outside you have to create that forward momentum yourself by pushing off from the ground. Plus, you're dealing with inclines and declines and uneven surfaces. I recently read an article recommending that people who have to do treadmill running during the winter should try to do one outdoor run a week to maintain their outdoor running ability, which said that otherwise it'll be hard to transition to running outside again in the spring.

So basically, it's a different ability that requires different things from your muscles - and which definitely gets easier and builds up over time! If you want to transition to more outdoor running, I'd treat that as a new step in your training and either try to find a flatter route or maybe reduce the impact of your first few outdoor consolidation runs by reducing your speed/duration or even going back to some interval training.

(Not that I'm any kind of expert, just someone who's been nerding out over running and reading a lot of articles lately)

[kev9154 Graduate10 in reply to RainRunner33]

Thanks for the advice, today I did 3K outside and 2K on treadmill. I find it difficult to

moderate pace, conditioned to treadmill pacing so will alter my distances. Much appreciated