W3R2 is treadmill cheating?

[Fatcyclist-Chris]

Have been suffering with my knees and shins, better than I was but have been pushing it hard.

Gave running a miss for a few days and stuck to the bike instead.

Decided to get back into the plan gently so went to the gym for the first time in years (I’d rather not pay when I can run/bike/swim for free), and I did my run on the treadmill.

Felt really guilty so did 40 mins solid pushing it and covered what I think the machine says is 4.1 miles. I just feel like it’s cheating though, it isn’t as hard as running outside (sorry any offended gymbos).

Anyone else feel the treadmill guilt??

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Not sticking to the plan is more likely to be considered cheating than running on a treadmill, but is more likely to result in injury.

Judging by your forum name, you are carrying extra weight. You say your knees and shins are hurting. You then go and do a run that is longer in duration than any in the C25K programme...............can you join the dots?

Sticking to the gentle progression of the training plan is far less likely to cause you pain, which is possibly a sign of potential injury, than going it alone. It is progressive for a reason.

The principles of the plan are laid out in the guide to the plan healthunlocked.com/couchto5... which I would suggest you read.

Take care.

[Fatcyclist-Chris in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Cheers IannodaTruffe should probably rein it in a little like you say.

When I say pushing it I mean running hard during the allotted periods.

I pushed harder on the treadmill because I felt like it wasn’t as challenging as running my normal outside route.in other words completed the normal stop starts, warm up and cool down just stretched some of the running periods.

Top and bottom of it is I enjoyed it and felt fit, I’ll use it as an experiment to see how my outside route compares to the comfort of the treadmill.

Cheers for the advise.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Fatcyclist-Chris]

Chris, what many who are new to running do not appreciate, especially those coming from other non impact sports, is that the impact of running damages your muscles and creates microtears, which repair and strengthen on your rest day, not while running. The need for careful progression is paramount, to avoid being another statistic in the injury lists, which are considerably higher for running than cycling.

You might also find this post useful healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

It is the number one mistake of rookie runners to run hard on every run........there is no need.

[Lindylou61]

Hi, I tried doing week 1 of the plan outside but had some knee pain so I swopped to the treadmill and am just about to complete week 3. I don’t consider it cheating at all, I am still getting fit and most of all enjoying the sessions. The knees are better and I don’t have an excuse if the weather is bad. Keep going at the pace set by the plan (or slower if necessary) and you’ll avoid putting too much strain on your body. Good luck and enjoy.

[Fatcyclist-Chris in reply to Lindylou61]

Thanks, you too!

[Tbae]

Listen to Mentor Iannoda Truffe.🌟👏👏

Trust this tried and tested C25k programme.🤔👏👏

All the info and support is here.

Running is running. Indoors or outdoors.Much like a static bike🤔

There are transitional tools to ease the transition from inside to outside.🤔

Mentor says never feared a Run only enjoyed.🤔🌟👏👏

Enjoy.🌟👏👏

[Gillma Graduate]

Hi there Chris - I’ve never tried a treadmill but I know plenty of people do. One thing I know is that C25k has challenged my ability to be disciplined - to make myself run regularly but also to stay in tune with my own body/needs rather than fretting about progress. It’s been shocking to realise how short-term-goal-oriented I can be, to the detriment of the real goal which for me is embedding a realistic, sustainable, enjoyable fitness regime. Injury happens - even when you stick to this brilliant plan - but it’s far less likely to. Injury also seems rarely to display itself instantly - rather a knee, back, ankle, trunk muscle, grumbles a day or two after the run; so listening to your body in the moment when it says ‘I feel fine, let’s push it’ can be counter productive. In short - I’m no expert but our mentors and advisors all say the same and it makes sense - pushing before your muscles and joints are ready simply won’t work. So, my recommendation would be not to worry about treadmill or not, but to see sticking within the parameters of this tried and tested method as your challenge. Slow and steady - to quote mentor Oldfloss - is the way to be a winner. That takes real discipline. The rewards could be huge! Good luck and keep us posted.