coldweather running vs treadmill - Triathlon Week

zlarin · 11-27-2005, 02:48 PM

hey all, its been a while since i've posted here, so a belated hello to you all! as the weather here in good old Omaha approaches the freezing point, i have been wondering what to do about my running. last year due to health issues, i couldnt do much running in the winter, which in turn effected my running in the tri. now that im good health-wise this year, im wondering what a better choice would be for winter running conditioning: stick to outdoors or try the treadmill? are there certain advantages/disadvantages of going one way or the other? and either way, are there any tips you guys could give me, especially regarding running when it is very cold outside? thanks in advance!
-zlarin

sfricks · 11-28-2005, 09:54 AM

zlarin,
Sorry... Can't address the cold weather issues. I personally can't run a treadmill. I get bored without the potholes to step in and without the dogs chasing me. So, my advise? Move to Florida where it's warm all the time :) Good luck!

Carpe Diem · 11-29-2005, 01:43 PM

:) Greetings Mr. Z~

First, congrats. on the good health this year. Running in the cold weather does pose some problems in getting in the milage you might desire. I think that a good compromise would be . to do both treadmill and out-door runs. I'm planning on doing some hill work and speed work when the weather is harsh, so that my time in the elements will be reduced. Maybe a little skiing would be a welcome alternitive to make your workouts more varied and interesting. A lot of triathletes do strength work when they can't get in the mileage I've been told.

Best of luck this winter...stay healthy and have a good tri season

pyschosyd · 11-29-2005, 04:27 PM

Interesting. JUst got in from a run in the cold. I'm Canadian so I know a thing or two about the cold. I've spent years doing both. Running exclusively outside during the winter and running exclusively on a treadmill. The major problem I find running outside is putting in the time. I find that after about 45min. I've had it cold wise. Often it is hard to find a good pace too with slippery conditions. On the other hand, running exclusively on the treadmill I find that it is not an accurate representation of running outside. I found that my knees took a beating after starting back on the road. The treadmill absorbs so much impact that it lets your knees lose there toughness.
This year I hope to try a bit of both. Get out when I can, and stay in when I need to.
hope this helps
syd

bochertj · 12-07-2005, 10:28 AM

I think that one thing that winter running (especially in snow) does help is leg strength. Running in snow and having slippery traction may slow one's pace down but makes up for quality of workout. I've run spring marathons for the past couple years and I believe running outside made a huge diference. Now i do run on the treadmill on occassion. But for a long run or an easy 5 miles, nothing beats running in winter weather. Running in winter weather also helps with getting used to the cold. By the end of winter, I am running outside in shorts and a tshirt in 20 degrees!!

Although motivation is sometimes a factor when the snow is really bad coming back inside from a wintery run makes up for it.

Hope this helps,

Jeremy

alpinechic · 01-06-2006, 05:03 AM

Another thing you might try is the elliptical machine (if you have access to one). I have used the elliptical at the gym to work through a knee injury but maintain cardio, and I find it's much less boring than a treadmill. I read in Runner's World recently that the elliptical is the "closest thing to running besides running" in terms of how your body moves during a workout.

Personally, I don't see how anyone can run on a treadmill...way too boring. However, if this is the best option, I have heard that it's best to set the incline to between 1% and 2% to better imitate outdoor running.

alpinechic · 01-06-2006, 05:12 AM

Another idea for working out indoors: I have found that I like to do 3 to 6 10-minute sets on the elliptical rather than go straight through. After each set I do resistance training. Doing this helps to keep the heart rate up for the desired period of time while lessening the brain-numbing effects of doing cardio and not getting anywhere. This could probably be applied to the treadmill too.

duggar1 · 01-07-2006, 10:18 PM

What kind of resistance training?