This week I find myself working in north Wales. Like a lot of places I have to visit for work, they are very picturesque places to be. Unfortunately, many of them do not always provide you with ideal or safe places to go road running.
Such is the case today. My hotel sits right on the A55 express way - the main road that runs right across north Wales. It doesn't take long for me to figure out that although tempting, as running on a dual carriage way might be a great way to increase you speed, (you can do 70mph on those things y'know), it is neither safe or indeed legal, I'm guessing!
Luckily for me, my hotel has a small fitness room which they very kindly allow guests to use. For me, this offers me my first opportunity to do a running session on a treadmill. Now I am not a total technophobe and it doesn't take me long to figure out how to get the thing actually running. The manual program sets up for a stand 60 minute session, twice as long as my usual run but hey, I think, that will include my warm up and warm down. So I increase the speed until I am walking at a brisk pace and I do it for the obligatory 5 minutes.
Five minutes up, I crank up the speed to what I believe is a steady pace. The digital display reads 6.1, I have no idea what that means, but it's a steady pace. Fifteen minutes in and I am generally feeling okay, but it is getting very warm in here. A small air-con unit is on but doesn't seem to do a lot. Twenty minutes in and I'm sweating like a good'un but not getting tired.
Normally by now I would start to feel the legs really working, but not this time. The thirty minutes are up, I'm hot, I'm sweaty but still going, so I continue. Now I hit the forty five minute mark, I've never run this long before and after 45 minutes of staring out of a window at the A55 but not getting anywhere, dare I say it, I'm getting a bit bored! So I decide now is the time to slow it down, do my 5 minutes warm down and get off.
After this experience I come off a little confused. Had I set the equipment up wrong? Was I running a lot slower than normal? To both questions I think the answer was no. So why did it seem so much easier than road running. And does this serve as a bit of a warning to those who have done all their training at the gym on the mill, that when the day comes and you step out for your first road run, you are going to find it a very different experience.
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Julian1970
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I believe the difference is that you aren't propelling your body forward against air resistance, so it does feel slightly easier. I've read that to compensate and get closer to 'real' running you need to set the incline to 1-2%.
It is easier. I couldn't believe I was running as fast as I was with such ease. If my machine hadn't been making a racket because it wasn't properly flat I would have go on for an hour easy. I did 5 miles in 34 mins. My local roads are way too hilly to allow that sort of ease.
Saying that I am eyeing a 14km really flat, with newly laid tarmac to see what might be possible! 👍😉
Definately a new experience, not one that I am sure I want to do too often.
That is what concerned me JoJo. I probably could have ran for an hour, but was it really testing me? But as Flyingred suggests (above), that maybe the incline should have been set steeper to better simulate road running.
I don't know 🤔 I did find I was able to concentrate on my form better, not having to worry about kerbs and wonky pavements. I was definitely working hard and my legs felt worked when I stopped, it just didn't satisfy all the elements.
I did wish I'd pressed the "rolling hills" programme it had instead though.
We get so much more from a run than just the running; scenery, fresh air, interaction with others sometimes, even outdoor smells, its a whole body experience where this only ticks some of the boxes. 👍
Agree with all your comments JoJo. I am not dismissing the experience and I may give it another go on Thursday, before I set off home. But this time have a play around with the settings. One thing I did forget to mention, which I didn't like, was the feeling of motion when you step off, quite nausiating - you don't get that on the road.
I would like to make it very clear that I am in NO WAY critisising the use of treadmills. They are brilliant pieces of kit, they are safe, the environment is safe, and they are all weather machines. It is just my experiences as a road runner made this session seem very different.
I’ve done a mix of both throughout the course of the program. I used to only go on the treadmill (it actually took me ages to work up the courage to run on there too).
It’s definitely different. I think road running is probably the hardest type, compared to treadmill and trail/grass.
Did you set an incline on the treadmill? I’ve read you should set it at 1% to mirror running outdoors.
I also find I can run much faster on a treadmill than I can outside. It doesn’t really matter to me, but just something I’ve noticed. I also think I don’t get as tired on the treadmill as I do outside, even though I’m running faster. (I can run at a pace of 7-7:30 min/km on a treadmill compared to 8-9 min/km outside).
Is it that on the road, your legs are doing all the work, where as, on the treadmill you are just keeping up with the machine . . . . . if that makes sense!?
I can only go by my one experience Jenny, but like you, I found it easier. And I like your thought about it being a handy back up in adverse conditions
Hey Julian thanks for sharing this. I think I’m likely to run on the treadmill when we get to the dark winter mornings and evenings. It’s probably just safer really. I did do my very first run on a treadmill, but I have not been back since braving the pavements on run 2! I guess I’m forewarned that it’s going to be quite a different experience. But, who knows, my 5k might just be waiting for me there on the smooth surface! It must be great for building stamina too! 😁❤️
Hi Fabulous, I'm sure you'll find your 5k before then But totally agree that it is probably a much safer option in the winter. You may also have some one at the gym who will help you set up the treadmill better to give you more of a work out.
Also with you on the stamina thing. Forty five minutes running, I've never done that before, so that's definitely got to be a big thumbs up
A key thing is to set some incline on the machine to compensate for the lack of wind resistance. 2% incline is generally accepted as the balancing number. That little bit of incline does make it surprisingly harder. Some people turn down the incline towards the end of their run if they are finding it a bit tough - I’d never do that of course 😂
Hi there, I have been using treadmill until this far in my program and I will be running W8R1 in a day. I tried to run outdoor and felt it really hard inspite of using incline of 2 on treadmill . I guess i will have to try outdoor more often. I now wish I had tried outdoor first .
It is a very different type of running bonny_lass. Yes road running is much higher impact, and the environment is not always perfect, but I think if you are a regular treadmill runner, it would be a good thing every once in a while to put in a couple of sessions out doors.
Besides, I'm yet to find a Parkrun where everyone lines up on treadmills
You are right. I tried to increase my incline and speed today for my week 8 run and felt really good though it is a bit of struggle as I am preparing myself for the road run. I might give it a go the day after for run 2 of week 8.
Just take into account our current weather, it is very warm even first thing in the morning. Due to my work, I usually end up running late evening, 8 or maybe 9pm, but even then it can still be very warm, so take it it easy and slow it down a notch or two
I do both depending on weather and where i am, and for some reason, my pace is actually faster outside! Thou i am also the wierd one who completed W8 R1 after a 45 min boxing class.....
I have done all my running on the treadmill and decided to go out a few weeks back.....what a shock! So much harder outside. I quite happily run for 30 minutes on the treadmill and I can not do that outside! Tbf my hayfever makes it much harder to cope but I was really suprised at how hard I found it. I have decided to keep trying outside but have started at W3 to see if I can cope.
I'm running on a treadmill in garage..I have a bad back so it was a conscious decision to do so..I know that it is easier so I've always known that when I move on to outdoors I will probably have to go back to earlier stages of programme. For me this is working...I tried outdoor running years ago and have up really quickly. Treadmill change boring...music is the keyto success..and a fan trained on my face to keep cool🐌🐌🐌🐌
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