Hi there
64 years old and doing C25K on the treadmill mainly because the roads outside are really rural and it gets dark quickly. Now on week 7 R1.Just completed and feeling exhausted but good (if that makes sense) Hearing everyone talk about running outside I am beginning to feel a bit of a fraud!! I will do a park run in the summer and have already looked one up but is it OK to graduate using a treadmill??
I don't think you can be a fraud if you are in week 7. Graduation is simply a matter of keeping going for 30 minutes, wherever you do it.
Running outside is a matter of personal preference...I like it because it's easy to vary the pace and there's stuff to look at. But I have a nice park round the corner from me. Safety should always be a prime concern and running in the dark along roads with no footpath is probably not a good idea.
The only thing I would say is that the parkrun is unlikely to be completely flat so you might want to try using the gradient function on the treadmill when getting ready for it.
Welcome, fellow runner.
Running is running wherever you do it...,.........even on the infernal dreadmill!!!!
Of course you can graduate.
We do recommend that you set your contraption to a minimum of 1° incline to simulate running outdoors, otherwise the transition can be a bit of a shock.
You might gather I am not a fan of treadmills but I admire anyone who can run on one without dying of boredom............I know I would.
Keep going, you are doing great.
Thanks for the support will try using the gradient although today's 25 min run non stop was hard work on the flat!! Will persevere though Thanks again Determined to graduate
You're not a fraud at all! You're a runner! I hope you can enjoy lots of daylight runs once the days get longer again. The treadmill is a good place to be if you can't be outside.
People using treadmills...I salute you!
Running on a treadmill? 
Treadmill
Treadmill or outside?
