Anyone run on a treadmill?
Looks boring as shite, but I'm to the point where concrete isn't agreeing with the joints and feet, especially in the cold.
How does it compare to outdoor running?
It's generally accepted that to work at the same level as road running you have to run at a 1% incline. So an 8 minute mile on a track equals a 8 minute mile on a 1% incline grade on a treadmill. The difference isn't enough to concern yourself on a treadmill. I usually run all my miles on a treadmill at the first quarter mile (one lap around the track) on level incline. The second on 1%. The third on 2% incline and the last lap back to zero incline. That's just me though.
Cheap treadmills are terrible. The speed is in accurate. They are also too bouncy to make beginner exercisers think they are running on a soft surface but I found that bounce causes injuries. Quality treadmills have some give with out the bounce. Good treadmills manufactures are True, Landice, and a few others. Many of the cheaper home treadmills actually come out of the same factory in China. If you look at them side by side it's unmistakable that two different brands are the same except for some cosmetics.
Some elite runners that live in serious cold climate areas train for months on a treadmill until the weather breaks. Some treadmills can really go quickly and you can do intervals on them like 10 x 400 yards or 6 x 880 yards.
What I found with treadmills is that some just have to many bull shit features. If you are serious about getting into shape do you really need their pre programmed runs? All I want is an excellent surface to run on. That is firm but with a little give. I want an electronic quarter mile track that shows you going around it as you run. I want a simple switch so I can see the speed as pace. I don't care what 8 MPH is. No runner goes to a park and says to another runner let's keep it at 8 MPH. I want to run to pace. So I can say I'm doing a 7 minute mile pace. Most treadmills give you that option. I want the controls to be simple.