To avid runners

[babydollsea]

I started running on my treadmill 3 weeks ago. Previous to this I did Cathe's step aerobic steps with great results.

I have found that I really enjoy the running. I ran 6 miles in 50 minutes yesterday. I would like to get really serious about this sport. My goal is to increase mileage (each week) and eventually run a marathon. My question is, should I continue my weight training (PowerHour 2x's a week)? Secondly, because I have a young child at home (my husband goes to work really early), I can only run on my treadmill. Once she starts school, I will be able to take it to the streets. I am a morning exerciser (energy level goes down in the evening) and I hope that training on the treadmill won't hinder the effects of running outdoors. Any comments? thank you

 

[Gatorfan76]

HI!
I actually trained and finished a half-marathon with just training on a treadmill. I'm a full-time student who didn't have time to run outdoors and I did just fine. However, what I did was increase the incline on the treadmill to make it more difficult, and to somewhat mimic the conditions I would face if running outdoors. (I don't know what kind of treadmill you have but I would incline my treadmill from level 1-3.5 ) I actually found the Disney half-marathon a bit easier to run due to its mostly flat terrain.
If you really don't have time to run outdoors, increase the incline, and sometimes increase the speed as well too.
Hope this helps. Good luck on training for a marathon. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

 

[junemom]

There's an excellent book called Running for Women by Cheryl Kowalchik (sp?) who used to be an editor of runner's world. At the end of the book she really details different training regimes for 5K's, 10K's, marathon, and half marathons. I normally run outdoors but really want to get a treadmill now because I think you can tailor your training more specifically.

Christine

 

[lorihart]

I have been running for 4 years now(taking winter monthes off).I have never really comcentrated on my timing though.Somedays if I feel as if I can run longer and harder I will.In my town they do not have any marathons.I recently went to visit my brother(3 hours away) and his girlfriend was telling him that she was running in the 5k that was comming up.I was sort of bummed about that.
I also have a friend who just started running.One day last week she ran 45 min on the treadmill,she was very proud of herself.But the next day we took it out doors and at first she was keeping my paste but she soon fell far behind.She finds in extremely difficult running outdoors.Now, I don't know why she would, we weren't doing any hills or anything hard.So, of course she gets pissed off at herself and won't run outsoors anymore.So, you may want to be aware of this.You should practice running outside for a little while just incase this could happen to you.I started running outside so I can't run on the treadmill,makes me dizzy.
I would keep up the power hour to, you really got to keep those quads and muscles around the knee area in good shape.if you don't you could cause some sort of knee injury.Hope I helped, best of luck,
Lori

 

[Andrea]

Running outdoors feels different than running on the treadmill. Up your incline at least 1% as you don't have a natural wind resistance on the treadmill. I read that at a triathlon site, so don't think I'm just fruity. But running both outdoors and on the treadmill is great for training for races. You can do hills and speedwork on the treadmill and do the longer runs outside.

BTW you are doing great! I have been running for a long time and it takes me 45 min. just to do 4 miles. This is definitely a sport you could excel at. You should definitely get into doing some races! You're fast!

Andrea

 

[babydollsea]

Thanks everyone for responding. I have been incorporating tempo and intervals into my runs. I believe these two types of training has helped up my speed by 10% in the last two weeks. I plan on doing long runs in the outdoors. I found a site called coolrunning.com (I'll use this with runnersworld.com as well) that gives great tips and training routines. Thanks again for all your help. I plan on working on this for about 3-6 months before I enter a race. I just want my bones and joints to get really used to running!

 

[cyberfit]

babydollsea, I think that it's good that you are including outdoor runs in your training program. There is a difference between running on a treadmill and running outdoors, although you can get an excellent workout doing either one.

Alberto Salazar has a book, "Treadmill Training and Workout Guide", that you might want to check out. My local library has it, so you might be able to find it at your library (or network of libraries.)

Good luck with your running and keep us posted!

 

[Jenne]

I trained for a marathon using mostly treadmill runs but I DNFed for other reasons (caught something from a coworker right before the marathon.) The main thing I noticed was I had some trouble with sore shins when I ran on the hard surface as opposed to the treadmill. The next time I train for a marathon, I'm going to make sure I run outside at least once a week to prevent that problem.