Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Jazz
OK, easy question first. Outside. The treadmill is a torture device. You don't develop a sense of pace that translates outside, you run differently on a treadmill than outside (basically the explosive movement of the calf that propels you through the air as you lose contact with the ground is tempered to compensate for the moving surface), its easier to get injured on either by accident or overuse (you're running on metal), and you don't interact with your environment. Torture device.
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It depends on your individual situation. I agree that in general running outside is better, however there are a few situations where it is entirely warranted and the treadmill should not be dismissed out of hand:
1) Ridiculous weather - when it's -30c plus a windchill as it can get around here, or when the road is a sheet of ice, it's pretty fucking stupid to run outside. Trust me frostbite sucks as does twisting an ankle on the ice. It's a real issue in northern climes, and I imagine some seriously hot days in the south can present similar obstacles. July in Atlanta anyone?
2) Kids - when my wife, especially, can't get away from the little ones for a run, she can still fire up the treadmill or eliptical and still get a workout in.
3) Availability of terrain - I live in a town full of hills, but other friends live in entirely flat areas. Setting an incline on the treadmill lets you get some hill work in.
4) Injury recovery - coming back from injury, for my first few runs, I wanted to gradually run harder but not get too far from home base only to find myself limping back. I did 5 or 6 runs on the treadmill before feeling confident enough in my knee to hit the trails again.