Road v. Treadmill

So we were crunched for time this morning, and after some schedule wrangling and compromising with the husband, we decided that I should go for a run outside this morning instead of schlepping out to the gym. I normally don't run outside unless I'm doing a race.

Obviously, lots of people prefer running outside for a variety of reasons. Some feel less bored - the changing scenery can be invigorating. When you run outdoors, you encounter lots of challenges that you won't face on a treadmill - wind resistance, curbs, hills, traffic, weather. Some people enjoy this variability, while others find it distracting and nerve-wracking (I'm with the latter group, thank you very much). The road is a harder surface than the treadmill, and can be more jarring on your joints. Running outside is a harder workout because you are pushing yourself forward whereas on a treadmill you are running in place, and the moving belt is doing a lot of the work for you.

When you run on a treadmill at zero incline, you are actually running slightly slower than you would on the road at the same pace because you are not overcoming air resistance on the treadmill. Check out this conversion chart to find out the road pace compared to the treadmill.

I get that the treadmill workout is not nearly as difficult -- I can feel the difference when I run outside compared with inside. However, I still prefer the treadmill. The surface of the treadmill is "springy" and helps keeps my joints protected. This is important for me since I am starting to run at a comparatively older age (33) than when most runners start out. (I'm no high school track runner, that's for sure!) But honestly, even though it's not AS hard as running outside, it's still hard! I'm still working!

Also, being a control freak, I really like the ability to have a controlled environment. The gym is always air-conditioned and good weather - I am a diva when it comes to being outside in inclement weather. You will never see me slogging through the rain or snow. Also, even if the treadmill speed and incline settings are somewhat off when compared to running in the "real world", I don't really care. When I run outside, I feel like I have no idea what is happening - no clue how fast I am running, what is going on with the incline, if I am maintaining the same pace throughout, how hard I am working. It comforts me to be able to read all of that information on the display in front of me.

While we each have our own preferences, and there are pros and cons to both, I think I'm definitely a treadmill runner!

Today's workout:
10 min. stretch
40 min. run outdoors
(hopefully later - 60 min. yoga)