Is Treadmill Running easier than Road Running?
June 22, 2006 by Jacquie
Filed under Advise & Opinions, General, Training
Yes, it is! Is that why you prefer the treadmill? It’s true that we can all get a great running workout on a treadmill, with all it’s mutiple settings for speed, intervals, hill training etc. But there is really nothing that compares to the great outdoors.
How is that you ask?
“When you’re running on a treadmill, the conveyor belt does some of the work for you, but when you’re running outside, your body has to propel itself forward without any motorized help,” says Jason karp, a professional running coach in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There’s also more air resistance when you’re sweating outside, plus there’s usually a slight incline or decline.
So, where running on a treadmill is alright for some of your running workouts, if you don’t get outside and pound the pavement (so to speak), you will find the next road race that you do harder than your treadmill running because you haven’t conditioned your body/muscles for roadrunning. It’s a good idea to mix up your running venues and when you do run on the treadmill, keep the incline set at 1.0, this will simulate an outdoor environment. Most importantly - keep running!