treadmill running

Quoted message said:

1) Does running on a treadmill approximate running out doors?

As simulations go it does a great job. Fitness gained on a treadmill does benefit outdoor running,
but allow for some adaptation in the spring.

Outdoors you encounter wind drag, whereas the mill simulates running with a tailwind equal to
your speed.

TM's have a forgiving surface that may let you run further with poorer form. To compensate, work on
your form indoors: reduce vertical bounce, do some faster running, minimize foot slap noises.

Few TM's have a downhill option.

Your shoes wear out much more slowly on a smooth, soft TM belt than on pavement.

Quoted message said:

2) If so, how can I best do this (e.g., incline level, etc)?

To compensate, you can run longer, faster, or add 1.5 percent grade.

Also, the mills have "Hill" programs to simulate natural terrain. Using periodic minor climbs better
prepares me for an outdoor trail.

If you adapt to it, slow running on a steep incline is great crosstraining.

Take advantage of the displays of time, distance, speed and HR to track your improvement and
challenge yourself.

In article said:

I am starting to retreat to the indoors for exercise as the weather gets colder. I have two
questions I hope someone can help me out with:

1) Does running on a treadmill approximate running out doors?

Yes. The two main differences:

(a) it's a different surface, just like trail, synthetic track, pavement, etc are
different surfaces.

(b) because you're not moving relative to the air, you get no airflow. This means you don't get any
drag, but it also means that you get very hot, especially since most gyms are fairly warm anyway
(70-75 degrees is a warm day for running).

Quoted message said:

2) If so, how can I best do this (e.g., incline level, etc)?

Some people like to run with a slight incline. There are a few reasons for this:

(1) some buy into the fallacy that you need to do it to "compensate" for the fact that there's no
drag. This is a fallacy because
(a) you also get more heat as well as drag, and the treadmill calibration may not be correct (I've
run on several treadmills that read short). A temperature of 75 degrees combined with no airflow
amounts to unusually adverse conditions.
(b) the variance that results from different surfaces trumps all. For example, the difference
between a dirt trail and hard pavement or a treadmill and a dirt trail is much greater than the
effect of drag on a treadmill.

(2) another reason some people like to use the incline is that it makes it a lower impact exercise.
For people who are prone to "impact" injuries such as stress fractures, this is probably a good
thing. For people who have tendon problems (shinsplints or achilles tendonitis) it is probably
better to just keep it flat.

(3) varying the incline makes the workout less boring. Treadmills can be boring, so anything that
adds variety is desirable.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi pegasus.rutgers.edu~elflordOpen ↗

<[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am starting to retreat to the indoors for exercise as the weather

gets

Quoted message said:

colder. I have two questions I hope someone can help me out with:

1) Does running on a treadmill approximate running out doors?

2) If so, how can I best do this (e.g., incline level, etc)?

Thanks.

You will enjoy running more if you continue outdoors - in Britain it never gets too bad (except the
odd day) to run outside - even here in Edinburgh.

Quoted message said:

I am starting to retreat to the indoors for exercise as the weather gets colder. I have two
questions I hope someone can help me out with:

1) Does running on a treadmill approximate running out doors?

Absolutely not 😉 You miss the friendly crunch of packed snow under foot, the bright, intensely blue
sky, the beautiful pinks and purples of the setting sun on the snow-clad mountains, starlit nights.
We didn't get much snow last week, but it was really high quality - the best in a couple years in
southcentral Alaska. Mushers', runners', and xc skiers' eyes were gleaming with delight 🙂

Flip side is you miss the freezing rain that we're supposed to get today and has already hit nearby
city. groan.

You might check a more detailed description in rec.running earlier this week, but a treadmill has
a softer, more forgiving surface that doesn't provide the twists and turning of trail running.
That is, it may not do much for ankle strengthening, but it can provide nice gentle flexing of
the achilles, depending on slope you select - and it will remain constant if you leave the
setting that way.

If your long hills are in avalanche areas in winter, you could crank the slope up to equivalent
steepness and continue running for however long it takes you to run the long hill. You won't get
trail technique or the downhill (ones I've seen only go to -3% slope), but you will get the
strengthening and aerobic conditioning. Other drills can help maintain foot/ankle strength and
dexterity if needed.

Quoted message said:

2) If so, how can I best do this (e.g., incline level, etc)?

Your goals (aerobic conditioning, stride length, strength, leg speed, etc) might dictate how you set
the incline. People that have trouble getting their heart rate up on the flat, like me, will tend to
crank the slope up to max benefits in limited time (some gyms have 20-min limit). The slopes
generally may not be calibrated so I'd crank it up to what works for you for your purposes.
Something around 1-2% is generally taken to make it equivalent to energy of flat road running. The
gym I used to use has the aerobic equipment by the windows, keeps them open, and has fans turned on,
but I still used to crank the slope up.

If your gym has a versaclimber or stairmaster, you might also consider them for strength and aerobic
conditioning.

I only use the treadmill in a cross-training class or if it's icy or rehabbing. Temperature alone is
rarely an issue to not run outdoors year round where I live in Alaska.

Dot

--
"Success is different things to different people" -Bernd Heinrich in Racing the Antelope

Quoted message said:

I am starting to retreat to the indoors for exercise as the weather gets colder. I have two
questions I hope someone can help me out with:

1) Does running on a treadmill approximate running out doors?

Never, no matter how you set the incline.

Quoted message said:

2) If so, how can I best do this (e.g., incline level, etc)?

Run on the roads.

thanks for your replies!

Jogging on a treadmill is only comparable to jogging outside........ if you move the treadmill
outside. Otherwise it's comparable to jogging in the living room of your double-wide. You're on a
treadmill to oblivion.