As the treadmill reviews guy, I associate with a lot of avid runners. I have found that a lot of serious runners absolutely despise the treadmill. I’m a huge treadmill fan but I can understand why some people would much rather run outside. I, too, enjoy running outside (it’s a good way to keep my dog in shape) as long as the weather is nice. I hate running in the cold and would rather not run in the heat.
So lately I had been thinking of reasons why some runners hate the treadmill so much. I came up with the following 3 reasons and solutions for each.
1. Treadmills are Indoors
I had a conversation with Danielle, a triathlete, yesterday on Twitter. She said she hates running on the treadmill and will only do it if it’s -10 degrees outside and there is sleet on the ground.
Honestly, I admire that.
While the ability to run indoors is an obvious benefit in certain situations like harsh weather, those that are fond of running outside despise the thought of having to be trapped inside while they run. Experiencing new sites, sounds, and smells is what gets a lot of people out of bed and onto the runway. This is common among marathon runners and triathletes. Running outside will often times present you with hills, uneven terrain, and wind resistance which can be of benefit to your workout.
Solution to stay motivated during the chilly season: I’m not going to tell you that it’s not okay to run outdoors because that is a lie. A lot of serious runners only run on a treadmill during the winter time and that’s just fine. A home treadmill set close to a window should keep you happy during the storm.
2. Treadmills are expensive. Running is free.
Okay so maybe running isn’t totally free but it can be one of the least expensive sports out there if you don’t go crazy with fancy running shoes, expensive diets, and the need to travel all the way around the world to run in a marathon. So investing in a 1000+ dollar treadmill for the sake of doing something that you can do for “free” outside is a bit unreasonable for a lot of folks.
With that said, treadmills are expensive because, well, they’re pretty sweet! Some of the newer treadmills are stocked with cool features like iFit Live, Google Maps, internet browsing, crazy incline capabilities. For some, being outside or listening to a good song is enough to keep them running. For others, being able to browse Facebook or virtually run anywhere in the world is the only way they will be able to stand exercising for more than 10 minutes. So while treadmills are expensive, they let you do some cool stuff that make the price worth it.. to some people.
Solution: If you’d like to run on a treadmill but can’t afford the hefty price tag, look for them on sale or even used. Or, you could get an affordable gym membership and use their treadmills. Not all gyms have super nice treadmills with awesome features but some do.
3. Treadmills are noisy and I have babies at home.
The noise of some treadmills is truly enough to wake a baby from a nap and most treadmills under ‘expensive’ are going to be noisy. So really the only solution here would be to invest in a more expensive treadmill that rides nice and quiet.
Solution: Some treadmills known for being super quiet are the True Fitness Z5.0.
Conclusion
I think it’s great that some people hate the treadmill. More power to you! I do think some people might have the wrong idea of treadmills and are not aware of all the variety and features available to them. The most important thing is that you do what you love. Don’t run on a treadmill because I said it’s awesome, run on a treadmill because it is what motivates you. If running outside is what you love to do even if it is -6 degrees outside then DO IT! Just run and don’t stop.
What are the reasons you do/do not run on a treadmill? Are you a treadmill hater? Share in the comments!
