Can I get the same fitness from mostly treadmill running?

As others have said, you want to vary the workouts you do. I never do the same workout more than a couple days in a row so I don't get repetitive overuse injuries.

Another tip is DON'T always run on the treadmill at a slight incline. Nothing wrong with running flat. If you think the effort isn't enough, just speed up a little. Also if you are lucky to have a decline treadmill, use that every once in a while. If you want to do big inclines, work into them gradually.

all aboout the effort..... wrote:

As others have said, you want to vary the workouts you do. I never do the same workout more than a couple days in a row so I don't get repetitive overuse injuries.

Another tip is DON'T always run on the treadmill at a slight incline. Nothing wrong with running flat. If you think the effort isn't enough, just speed up a little. Also if you are lucky to have a decline treadmill, use that every once in a while. If you want to do big inclines, work into them gradually.

Don’t leave the treadmill on an incline. You’ll get hurt. Better to just increase speed a bit or play around with the incline.

Also, it can help to jump off half way through a run and maybe change shoes or do some quick dynamic stretches/drills

It shouldn't be too big of an issue. If you live in a place with bad weather, it can often be much safer to run on the treadmill. The Ingebrigtsens run a lot on treadmills, anytime there's bad weather or they're traveling, and obviously they're doing okay.

[quote][b]me

Wrote a long post, but it was lost because you put the "less than" sign in your name.

Anyways, there's this group from Alaska. Alaska Endurance Project. Guy did 90% of his runs on treadmill and smoked me at Boston. He got a top age group finish. These guys do well without much running outside. They do lots of HR zone training from what I gather. Apparently it works.

You beat me to that response. I still have that same singlet from Skinny Ravens BTW. I haven't seen her at the races in years, but finally did at a half I won last spring in Anchorage. I have spent my life only knowing cold climates livingmostly in Russia and Alaska. I trained outside on both sides of the pond down to -56. I only trained indoors for 1-2 speed workouts a week at a top facility in Moscow December -early April. Even in my buildup for Worlds and Euros ( I run the 50 and 100k), I still did those long runs out in the snow. Mid 2015-mid 2017 I spent 8 months a yr training in the mountains in Alaska. I am a mountain, ultra, and trail runner primarily. My legs got even stronger, but even in the crappiest of winter weather, I ran outside. Snow and snowshoe training makes one strong too! This led to some nice wins at mountain and trail stuff on both sides of the pond. Well, life and work took me further out a year and a half ago to the tundra. It was a royal pain in the a$$, and not cheap, but I invested in a treadmill and had it shipped out. I did not want to lose my mountain legs. I have a treadmill that does ascent and descent . Both muscle groups need to be trained. keep in mind, I had never set foot on a treadmill, but figured this was the only solution since the tundra is damn flat. I can see the mountains from where I am, but they are 15 min by small plane from here. I combine indoor and outdoor workouts.Twice a week, I do a run outside then come in and do a sustained climb. The climbs gradually increase closer to my mountain races and I add more descent as well. Long runs for the sake of my sanity are done outside regardless of temperature. Speed is done generally outside, but if it's super icy ( I have trained in Icebugs nearly 20 years)or sh!tty, I'll do the speed indoors to get the right paces much like I did on the track in Moscow 1-2 times a week. Recovery days /easy distance is outside on the tundra sometimes I snowshoe on the trails. I train in these conditions 8 -9months a yr. Last spring, I returned to my favorite mountain race. After nearly a year since I'd transferred to the tundra and had to incorporate treadmill training, to my surprise not only did I win again , but I cut nearly 5 min from my 20k time. It's a 10k up 10k down course on dirt and rocks. I was glad to know my investment had paid off. I did just as well at mountain and trail stuff back in Europe shortly after. The treadmill had worked.

[quote][b]me

I ran 2:35 doing 4 of 6 weekly runs on the treadmill.

Easy to multi-task while on a treadmill

[quote][b]me

you can get great fitness from the treadmill

typically when i'm getting ready for Boston, 2 of my 3 weekly runs are on the treadmill

but you have to do some (enough) pavement running to get your joints and connective tissues accustomed to the different stresses that the pavement provides..

the question becomes: how much pavement pounding do you need?

If you are training for a half or marathon, you can easily do almost all of your workouts on the treadmill with a slight and get super fit (obviously it worked for Brogan Austin). Most of the workouts for those distances are just aerobic, so it's mostly about just maintaining a certain effort level rather than trying to crank out 10-15 400s at 64 seconds if you're training to run a really fast 5k. Where I live, the paths I run on stay covered with snow and ice for weeks if the temperatures stay below freezing, and I have had a couple of really solid marathon cycles doing a lot of workouts on the treadmill.

Know yourself. Of course if you train hard running you will get fit. It doesn't matter inside or out. If you can be like BA and zone out and still get in good training then the answer is yes. If you feel discouraged and like the miles are junk, then it is very unlikely.

I find that the setup and teardown time for treadmills vs going out (even in the dark winter) tends to be about the same. You still have to dress, just less layers, but that is offset by having to figure out what you want to watch or do on the tmill and the extra cleanup from your sweat. For me that never takes less than a couple minutes especially while setting up the tech. So I am not sold on the time constraint argument for it.

One way I have used them (though not my typical way) is to do a tempo run at a specific pace specifically to get a free pacer. I don't worry too much about the pace/incline conversion because just knowing I was able to run for X miles at a goal pace and feel ok is a great confidence boost and you can obviously tell which zone you are working.

Good luck!

P.S. Don't forget to do maintenance on your tmill. All that not propelling yourself forward can wear them down quickly ;)

[quote][b]me

does a plane take off or not? wrote:

Nope. You're not actually propelling yourself forward on a treadmill, only picking your feet up and moving them forward

This is how I felt until I turned around and started running towards the control panel.

You are obviously a treadmill rookie. You're supposed to put the treadmill OUTSIDE and then you can run up and down hills and still be cold adapted!!!

I think you can and maybe it can force you to keep a higher pace. Also, using the treadmill you avoid impacts in articulations and reduce injuries.

Absolutely! I won the Gothenburg Syvester race 10. 55 km in about 31:30 ( with a tuff hill ) with almost only treadmill training that winter 1988.

theJeff wrote:

1. Incline to 1.5 to 2ish

2. Fan in your face to create the sensation of a headwind

Yes.

Anecdotally, I think the biggest risk w long term treadmill training is overuse injury: you don't get any of the turning, uphill, downhill, different surfaces, kicking "playful, friendly" dogs that running outside has built in.

You get the injury because of that incline. There is no need to use any incline in training. Even the official treadmill records are with 0% incline.

Yes, 100%. Especially if you are using a self powered treadmill. Like a curved treadmill.

I personally hate running at night or in the cold so the only way to prepare is on a treadmill for me.

I found this article a good read. Maybe a bit controversial for this forum tho.

https://expertfitnesssupply.com/5-reasons-why-treadmill-is-better-than-running-outdoors/