During half term I went to the local athletics track with my daughter, to practise running. I was really disappointed in myself. I found it so difficult compared to the treadmill. Only managed 2.25 miles (3.63km) in 48 mins, and I had to stop about 3/4's around the track for a few seconds. I think I will have to try and get outside when possible and start back at maybe week 3 of the couch to 5k.
On the treadmill I have just finished week 6 and can do 3.6 km in total distance in the 31 minutes.
Just needed to have a bit of a moan as thought I would have been able to do better, so it's left me on a bit of a downer.
Written by
Angie-Tap
Graduate
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It's ok to have a moan. Well done for going outside. As you have discovered, there is a difference between treadmill and outdoor running, the latter being harder work on your joints. Your thought to go back to an earlier week in c25k is the right one. Don't give up. It is worth making the transition.
Please don't get too dispirited, the differences between treadmill running and outdoors running have been well documented and have caught many by surprise. Essentially, when on a treadmill, your perfectly smooth surface moves for you, so certain groups of muscles don't have to work quite so hard. Outside, the surfaces vary, inclines and dips change often and the weather hits you full on. If you run outside I guess it is altogether harder work, but a more complete work-out. So, stick with it and just let your body adapt to the outside. You may not need to go back weeks or even days - just follow your podcasts ans take the new experiences slowly and steadily. Don't worry a jot about distances or speeds at this stage, just allow your body to adapt to running anywhere .... It'll happen. Cheer up x
Don't be hard on yourself, look at what you achieved - a run of over 3km, ask yourself if you could have done that 6 weeks ago. Also running with your daughter would be different to being alone on a treadmill.
Once you have done a few runs outdoors you will love it.
I also found it so much different running on pavement compared to a treadmill. The treadmill moves away from your feet, rather than you having to push your own weight forward. But at least you have still been moving, so much of the work has been done already. Keep going, you're so much further along than you used to be
I would concur with all the posts above. In addition moving from indoors to outdoors means you have to judge your own pace which can be tricky to manage at first. When you next venture out, slow down your pace and I am sure you will be fine.
It sounds as though you really went off the programme and that was more of a problem than the surface change alone. We rarely see it helping anyone doing C25K to look at their distances. I reckon you don't need to go back to an earlier week, but it should help to run at your *own* pace in terms of what you can manage (without looking at numbers)
Yup I had the same problem and shocked myself completely! I went back to week 3 and am now up to week 6 outside. I'm much slower outside than I am inside as well.
Don't get downhearted! As jadorami says, could you have run that distance a couple of months ago?!
I find running on the treadmill really difficult so I can't come inside for the winter and running on main roads in the dark instead of on the country roads in daylight has been really tiring. Anything different from the norm is enough to knock your timing and pace out.
Don't give up the outdoor running - I am sure you will soon be back on track (pun intended) : )
Swings and treadmillabouts! Outside is harder on the muscles but treadmill is very hard on tedium. I did the whole c25k on a treadmill and was shocked when the same distance outside was harder and slower. However, after a couple of weeks, it was fine with the huge benefit of not having that awful treadmill clock/km watching. So, crank back a week or so and persevere with outdoors would be my advice, but only if this won't destroy morale. It's a hump to be got over at some point though.
Do you think that perhaps you set off too fast? If you had to stop for a breather then it seems like you might have been motoring a bit at the start! Controlling your speed on your own is a skill that you have to learn - unlike running inside where the treadmill does it for you. Sounds to me like you're doing really well - and once you get the hang of it, running outside is pure joy.
Having a breather is fine! I do it all the time. A breather can mean finishing a run and not
I don't see what you have to be down about. It's all positive from where I'm standing.
Running outside is nothing like running on the treadmill but if you want to finish C25k on it then that's absolutely fine
You can move your running outdoors after Graduation if you wish. Outdoors running is the best thing since sliced bread as I think most here will agree.
It sounds a bit like you're impatient. Just go through the runs, one at a time. No need to get ahead of yourself. You need to be a bit Zen about things. LOL
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