Up to week 8 and just about getting there...
I have done all of the training on a treadmill but recently tried running outside!
I have found it incredibly more difficult to run outside and could barely do 5 minutes before I wanted to stop and walk home!
Any tips or advice to help as I’d prefer to run outside.
Take it slow and steady running outside is wonderful but takes a bit of practice after a treadmill
Have you tried parkrun?
No... what do you mean by that?
Just signed up for this. Thank you
No worries - you can start by walking the route if you don’t want to run, but you’ll still meet a great bunch of friendly folk, many of whom have done C25k. Good luck! parkrun.org.uk
Biggest difference is you have to control your own pace. So slow down !
I think the treadmill makes you feel like you are going faster than you are, so if you try and replicate that outside you'd probably be trying to run too fast. Well, that's my theory anyway !
I'm still using a treadmill and running outside too. Do my long runs outside cause I can't stand the thought of being on a treadmill for over an hour.
This makes so much sense! I’d never thought of it like that! Not quite sure I can run for an hour but I’ll take this advice onboard! Thank you
I think slow right down - run slower than you are able to, so you are comfy. I have read on here that if you go very gently for a while, you will soon adjust. 😄
All that outdoor fun awaits you- enjoy yourself once you are used to it! 😄
PS Getting to W8 on a treadmill is quite an achievement- I would have felt exhausted by boredom, ( not to mention my fear of being catapulted off the back!! )😂
Thank you! I just watch Netflix on my phone, helps pass the time 😂
I run on treadmill. But use my headphones. Listen to my spotify music play list and get lost in "me" time. Don't want my runs to finish.
When you were a child you ran, simply and honestly. Treadmill wasn't an option. How to run outside as an adult? Just run, that's how. How you fell about those things, well that's your own choice.
I honestly cannot imagine feeling the elation of running when doing it on a treadmill. Or of watching Netflix, etc, whilst doing it. When I run I indulge myself by finding new little roads, paths, routes, etc. Get out there and explore, I say. It is a tonic for the soul, even with frosty weather!
I'd echo what everyone else says here! Take it nice and gently, and listen to your body! If you are breathing much more heavily and/or your legs are burning, slow it right down until your body relaxes back into it 
I always find the first 5-10 minutes or so of a run feel more difficult and a little clunky, but persevere and your body will eventually relax into it and find its rhythm keep going! And congratulations on making it to week 8, I'm just about to start week 8 today myself x
I have been running outside, it is harder because there are hills, uneven bits, obstacles, wind and a bit of rain too, but I think it is better as I get to explore my village, get fresh air and meet people, other runners and dog walkers, can’t talk as I’m running but feeling more part of my community. Experiencing nature too. Save the treadmill For when it’s pouring down or very slippy, don’t want to fall
Keep going slowly and you will do it, I’m sure
If you can't talk as you run, then you are going faster than the recommended pace for doing C25k.
Hi IanodaTruffe
Not that I’m running too fast to speak, just I don’t want to stop and chat in the middle of my timed run...
I can say hi, lovely dog etc as trundling along. Ha ha
Morning Kate. Apart from the weather the main difference is hills, pace and impact on your bones.
I would suggest adding incline to your treadmill runs before attempting outside.
To manage your pace better you may want to listen to the sane music and use beats to pace your self. Or use your breathing to time foot falls to match the thread mill.
If impact is an issue, which it is for me, try running on grass or asphalt rather than concrete. This will go some way to avoiding impact injuries.
Running outside is very exhilarating and less boring that on a treadmill. Just need to plan the shift and do both as well.
Good luck.
Each to their own I believe, I much prefer outside to treadmill that I find boring. That said you just carry on doing it your way 😀
I completed the whole of C25K on the treadmill and also then found the transition to outside running extremely difficult, I think as others are saying you try to run way too fast!!! I now love running outside and run in the dark and rain and completed my 4th parkrun today in -6 degrees! 😬😨 I also joined my local jog club and have learned to slow down even more for the increase in distamce that we're aiming for and I have now ran 9km, hoping for the BIG 10k before Christmas!! 🤞try to relax and enjoy your runs and don't put too much pressure on yourself to reach your goals in a set time!!
I combine treadmill with outdoor. Quite often I don't get the opportunity to run before 7pm, so half an hour on the treadmill does the job for me. That said, I've tried a few different outdoor routes and am looking forward to trying out more as I build up my stamina to run 5k and beyond.
I completed couch to 5k on a treadmill. I now jog once or twice a week outside. It is a lot harder to run outside with temperature variances, wind and incline. I just take it slow and steady while outside. I haven’t completed a 5k race yet. Mainly because I’m scared I won’t be able to run the entire thing outside. You’ve got this. Remember you are running longer and farther now than you did when you started.
Hi Kate, I have done ct5k twice on the treadmill. I did the same as you and you found it much more difficult outside. I started this time outside as soon as the early dark nights started and started from week 1. I can honestly say it's worth starting from the beginning, I just did the dreaded 20 minute run on week 5 and it's so much more enjoyable outside. The treadmill I feel pulls you along rather than you getting used to the work unless you have a good incline on it. I am not dissing what you have done in anyway, but try it from the start again outside and you will see what I mean. 😀
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