Only run on treadmill..fear of the road!

jidsudap

Okay so i'm not exactly super fit, go to the gym 2-3times a week, usually just run on the treadmill and a few weights. For the past month i've been running 10km in an hour on the treadmill. (i know I wouldn;t be able to do this on the road with terrain etc) Have a little bit of a fear running on the road, pacing myself being the big problem and I know its meant to be much tougher. Any ideas??

ecoli

jidsudap wrote: »

Okay so i'm not exactly super fit, go to the gym 2-3times a week, usually just run on the treadmill and a few weights. For the past month i've been running 10km in an hour on the treadmill. (i know I wouldn;t be able to do this on the road with terrain etc) Have a little bit of a fear running on the road, pacing myself being the big problem and I know its meant to be much tougher. Any ideas??

To start off increase the gradient by 2% this helps simulate normal running. From here you can start to swap one treadmill session a week for say a half hour easy and slowly work your way from that untill you are fully comfortable with your running. Pace is something that come with practice. small steps and you will be there in no time

Foxx92

jidsudap wrote: »

Okay so i'm not exactly super fit, go to the gym 2-3times a week, usually just run on the treadmill and a few weights. For the past month i've been running 10km in an hour on the treadmill. (i know I wouldn;t be able to do this on the road with terrain etc) Have a little bit of a fear running on the road, pacing myself being the big problem and I know its meant to be much tougher. Any ideas??

I was the same as yourself. I used to only run in the Gym but I suggest doing as said above and gradually incorporate road running into your training. Don't have a fear of your pacing, if you want to bring a watch to try to keep some consistancy.

pbuckland05

I was the same too alls i did was run on the treadmill, I gave running on the road a go since then Ive been on the treadmill once in 3 months and when I went on the treadmill after running the roads I found that I was much fitter, not only that its far more interesting as you can change routes and get fresh air, I found mapmyrun.com to be good in mapping my routes.

Blazer

Also try using the stairmaster to build up calve muscles.
No matter how much distance you do on the treadmill your feet and calves will take a serious impact when you first start running on the road due to the impact.
Remember I was doing 10 miles + on threadmill before I started running on the road and my calves was crippled after about 2-3 miles.
Plus I run faster on the road.
I learned the hard way .

Also invest in a good pair of trainers.
Get a gait analysis done to ensure the most comfort fit.
If you're of a neutral gait I suggest the Asics Gel Nimbus 10.
I ran the NY 0 marathon in these and found the comfort was fantastic in them.
They're about €150 but omg they're worth it.

TFBubendorfer

jidsudap wrote: »

Have a little bit of a fear running on the road, pacing myself being the big problem and I know its meant to be much tougher. Any ideas??

Yes, I have an idea. Put on some shoes and do a mile or two on the road. The you'll know it's not that hard after all.

carlybabe1

Im a bit of a running newbie myself, I started off running on the road, Id run for about 90 secs (all I could manage at the time) and walk till my breathing returned to normal, then go again. I would do this four/five times a week, each time trying to push myself a little further. I was starting to get very disheartened because after 2 mnths I still couldn't run three km continously. Then the OH suggested I go to the gym with him (it was lashing out) so I did, and I couldn't believe the difference, I can do on average 3.5 times more on the treadmill I was well chuffed. Ive gone back to the road though because its free for a start. I washed my runners though (serious error) and when I went running last night I had to stop near the end, I think I must've burst the cells in them cause I could feel every jarring step :mad:

Anyways, the point Im making is if you do start on the road, dont get disheartened, expect that you will be nowhere near as good as in the gym. Also, stock up with extra calcium supplements, and perhaps some cod liver oil for your joints

asimonov

If you are getting injured running on the road but not on the treadmill the chances are its because of your running style rather than the surface.

The treadmill compensates by being more forgiving and keeping you running at an unwaivering pace in a very linear direction. Sticking with the treadmill is fine as long as running on the threadmill is the goal itself; but if you harbour ambitions to do fun runs, or maybe do a race in the future you need to get outside and that might involve adjusting your running style a little so its kinder to your own body.

i wouldn't bother comparing the "distances" you've run on treadmill with distances you might run outside, enjoy the outside miles (tough and all they may seem in comparison) for what they are. Then like a lot of people here, you can go back and use the treadmill for convenience or when you don't have the time to get out.

geld

Why not try to do some running in a park?

You have the advantage of alternating between grass and tarmac + maybe some off road tracks etc. In addition you can decide on how many laps/distance/time you want.


BTW maybe you could elaborate on what exactly your fear is. It might induce a few more ideas from the helpful lot on this forum.

savaloy

It strange as I find running on the (d)readmill harder. I'm ok at a slower pace, but if I try and run at a faster pace for more than a short period time it ends up getting a bit hairy, mainly because i have a high sweat rate and it gets really slippy. I therefore will only use the (d)readmill for easy/recovery runs and do any tempo work or above on the road