Treadmill versus Track

[The13ig13adWolf]

There is a HUGE difference between the treadmill and actual running. While they both provide cardiovascular benefits, the treadmill is not an accurate gauge of your ability to run. In real running, you actually have to draw or pull your body forward. The treadmill "feeds" you the course under your feet. The only way to prepare for a fitness test is to actually run... otherwise, you will be going into it a bit blind (not actually knowing what you are capable of running).

Nice post.

If your knees are giving you a problem try running on grass or sand.

[Rhinod56]

I've actually turned out quicker times on the track come test days, and rarely if ever run outside on my own. (whether it be from self motivation, adrenaline or competition, or w/e)

[drummer-eman]

I LOVE my treadmill.

Ive lost 20 pounds since I got it 7 weeks ago.
I hate running outside, its more beneficial but treadmill running is better than nothing at all.

Once I get down another 20 or so, Ill start running outside{maybe}
I just love having the t.v. there and I do random programs, from running sprints and different incline walking programs. For me its more for weight loss than running improvement.

My goal would be to run the mile 1/2 in same time as my academy final, that was only 13 years ago and it was like 11:30 or so.
Good for a 200+ lbs 6' tall guy

[SgtJJ]

treadmill running is good if you have knee problems but if you continue to use th etreadmill make sure you run at an incline to compenstae for the treadmill helping you run

[BP348]

I really, I MEAN REALLY Hate to run. But, I've been back at the gym for about a month and have droped about 10 pounds.

I spend most of my time on an elliptical, 99%, But, have jumped on the treadmill twice. I'll shoot for an out door run sometime down the road.

[MDEMT280]

Speaking from personal experience, the elliptical is kind of like the treadmill. It may be a good cardio workout, and it may be better than nothing, but it really doesn't compare to running.

[CelticSmackdown]

I really appreciate all the input guys. I feel like I am going to keep running on the treadmill until I get to 5 miles at a 9 minute a mile pace, and then go out and see how well I can run outside. I mean, I won't have academy for at least 3 months so I will have plenty of time to run outdoors. The problem is that here it gets to 115 degrees in the summer, and nobody in their right mind wants to run in that heat. I feel like if I can run 5 miles on a treadmill I can run 5 miles outside-but I feel like it will take me longer and I will have to gauge that so I am prepared for the academy.

FWIW...I've been training for a physical test for the last two months. I don't particularly enjoy running, and like you, I wanted to train on a treadmill first. The biggest problem I had was the psychological aspect of running outside. On a treadmill, you watch TV, look at all the cute girls, etc while the track is being fed to you.

Outside, you stare at nothing but the distance ahead of you which is tough the first 4 weeks and the temptation to quit while having to push yourself along is HUGE, not to mention the fact that you also have to try and keep pace.

I would recommend that you get outside now and start hacking away at it. I used to quit after barely circling a New York City block. 6 weeks later, I'm up to 3 miles.

Just something to consider.

[MDEMT280]

The nice thing I found about running outside, however, is that you can't just turn it off like a treadmill. If I run a mile down a trail, my butt has to go back, too. It's not as easy to quit.

Same reason I dislike standard 1/4 mile tracks. You can just say, "Nah, I'm only going to go 3/4 today, not a full mile" or whatever. Plus, the scenery repeats itself...

[noelchabanel]

Here are a few tips I thought I might add here since I just passed a 1.5 mile run-test:

Practice in different types of weather. It was chilly, somewhat windy and had been raining all morning when I took my fitness test.

Since it was chilly, I wore a sweatshirt, which made running harder because I found it acted like a sail in the wind. Wear a t-shirt if you can stand the chill.

Definitely use the incline--and not just at 1%--if you need to prepare on a treadmill. It was a rough winter here, sidewalks and outdoor tracks were nonexistent, and the roads got too icy and narrow, so I had to much of the time. I worked my way up to a passing 1.5 mile time it at 5%, and on test day I had a minute to spare. 1% would not have reproduced the extra difficulty of a windy cold day wearing a sweatshirt for me, and this post would have more of a "I wish I had done...." tone to it.

One last thing I never thought about: seasonal allergies slowed me down. If it hadn't been raining, which took some of the pollen out of the air, I might not have been able to breathe well enough to pass. See your doctor and get something that will clear it up as much as possible without negatively affecting you...even though I am taking allegra, allergies still bothered me with all the heavy breathing.