Maybe a dumb question: but

[acatalina]

Cathe,
Can you tell me why it is so much more difficult to run, climb hills , walk on pavement than on a treadmill..????
I recently got out on a nice(rare) day lately and i live in an old skii resort community. It is all hills... I can climb , run, and go on the treadmill and not hurt... I 1.15 walk, run , uphill and down has had me hurting really bad in my legs for 2 days...
I am hurting from my shins to my butt..., calves...
I do have good newer shoes. I warm up stop and stretch and stretch afterwards...The treadmill elevated at 10 does not bother me like this...

Just curious...I just like to get out in the fresh air when it is nice for a change of pace...
Thanks for the input


www.picturetrail.com/acatalina

Anne
AKA
Storm

 

[crazystepr]

From what I've read and researched, the treadmill actually helps you along. The motor and belt work to propel you as you walk/run/jog and you're on an even, smooth surface. When you're outdoors, you have nothing to help you move forward and that combined with the uneven surface requires you to engage different muscles and the muscles you normally work on the treadmill must work in a different way. I always feel it so much more when I do anything outside vs. using the treadmill. I love the treadmill to keep my cardiovascular health going but when I need to shake it up a little and make my body scream, I'll take it outdoors...

Just my two cents...
Allison

 

[Lusignan]

I agree that the treadmill does help you along, I have read articles about this in the health magainzes I subscribe to. It is much harder to run outside than on a treadmil because the belt of the treadmil helps you move even if you are not wanting the help, it is the nature of the design.

Running outside can also strain your knees if you are more conditioned to running on a treadmil. So if one day you run outside when all along you have ran on a treadmil chances are you will really feel some pain or discomforat in you knees the next day. This doesn't happen to everyone, but thought I would mentioned it. You are noticing the "pain" because you are conditioned to the treadmil, this doesn't mean anything bad or that you are not as healthy as you thought you were. You have just conditioned your body to the treadmil.

If it were the other way around and you always ran outside and then one day jumped on the treadmil you would notice the difference as well. Because you are using the muscles in a different way for the treadmil than you are outside even if you don't notice it during the run.

 

[saia11]

Anne,
Just the difference in the hardness of the two surfaces can make a big difference in where you are feeling it the next day. Treadmills, especially those of high quality, have platforms designed to be "softer", to absorb the impact of your movements in order to take the strain of joints/tendons/ligaments/muscles. However, running outdoors usually means running on some kind of concrete/asphalt mix (unless you can find a trail or cinder path), and thus the shock of the higher impact on a "harder" surface with less "give" to it can be quite a noticeable difference if you are used to only running inside. Also, the uneven conditions outdoors will put a different strain on your body as you must engage more muscles in different ways to navigate obstacles and keep your balance.

When transitioning to outdoor running/walking try to avoid very hard surfaces, like sidewalks, and opt for running in the road if there is enough of a margin, running so that are facing oncoming traffic. Keep your initial runs shorter and slower, working up to harder workouts as your body adapts to the strains of outdoors.

HTH,
Mattea

 

[Tracey M]

I agree with Melanie. I don't have access to a treadmill except for maybe 5 or 6 times a year when I'm traveling and can use the hotel gym so I always do my runs outside. I find that I get terrible shin splints and aches when I run on the treadmill but experience no pain (and can run faster) outside. I think it's all what you are used to. I have heard a lot of people say running outside is more difficult and it makes sense, but for me since that is what I've conditioned my body to expect it's much easier outside.

 

[Aquajock]

IMHO, another difference between treadmill running and outdoor running is that you are encountering a certain amount of wind resistance outside even when it is not very windy, whereas inside because your body is not propelling through space there is no resistance. I just took a power walk outside (whereas during the workweek I often do a power walk indoors through my downtown area's enclosed skywalk system and then around a track at a club) and I noticed a real difference because of the wind factor, especially when you are heading into it.

A-Jock