# Other than enjoying the elements, is there anything that makes outdoors running better than indoors treadmilling? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 18, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747 "2022-12-18T19:47:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/1 "2022-12-18T19:47:16Z")
Been looking to get into the gradual habit of jogging/running 2-3 miles a day. I cannot see any advantage that outdoors running has over treadmilling, unless one particularly enjoys the scenery or **wants** exposure to the elements. Treadmilling = indoors climate, room temperature, always dry, cushioned surface (as opposed to hard concrete which damages knees,) bathroom is right nearby, you have ready access to water in the kitchen (whereas outdoors jogger has to carry his water with him,) you can listen to music aloud rather than using earbuds, you can run at night (no danger in darkness,) you won’t step on animal droppings or anything else you don’t want to, you can watch TV, if you’re a woman nobody will harass you, no traffic, you can adjust the slope angle at will, it calculates kilometers/miles for you (and calories burned) and if you injure yourself you’re already at home, as opposed to being a mile away from home and having to limp back home. Are there…drawbacks to treadmilling, or benefits of outdoors running, that I missed? Of course, treadmills cost $$$ too. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/2 "2022-12-18T19:52:39Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > if you injure yourself you’re already at home, as opposed to being a mile away from home and having to limp back home. I tripped and fell at least twice when I was jogging outside, and the worst damage was scraped palms, fortunately, so this is a good point. Once I got a horrible cramp in my calf, and I almost walked it off by the time I got home. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/3 "2022-12-18T19:53:24Z")
Running on variable surfaces improves your balance and muscle memory. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/4 "2022-12-18T20:23:13Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I cannot see any advantage that outdoors running has over treadmilling, unless one particularly enjoys the scenery or **wants** exposure to the elements. IMO, it’s MUCH easier to get motivated to run outdoors. Treadmills aren’t nicknamed dreadmills for nothing. I can’t stand a treadmill, but use one when I have no other alternative. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/5 "2022-12-18T20:31:04Z")
I have a treadmill at home in front of a flat-screen TV. There’s also a window I could stare out of, but with the TV I can get lost in a program and lose track of time, which is a benefit if I’m walking or jogging on it. Any hiking I do, I do outside and usually with my dog. Each has its advantages. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/6 "2022-12-18T20:33:03Z")
You meet a much better class of people outdoors. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/7 "2022-12-18T20:42:48Z")
Coming from a competitive background, I always found a given pace on a treadmill felt considerably faster than on the road. Your mileage may vary. \< snerk \> ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/8 "2022-12-18T20:47:36Z")
I’ve been running for many decades. I only run outdoors. I do not like indoor tracks, and I _really_ don’t like treadmills. For me, running outdoors is just much more “peaceful.” I’m looking at the landscape, I’m breathing fresh air, and no one is bothering me. In addtion, running outdoors keeps my brain very occupied, since I am constantly having to determine how to step onto curbs, where to put my feet, etc. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/9 "2022-12-18T20:56:18Z")
Before surgery ended my jogging career (skin graft on the bottom of my foot that doesn’t like running), I loved running on the beach in La Jolla and on the trail that runs along Mission Bay. Running on a treadmill to me was just so _boring_–I never got tired of the sights and sounds of the ocean and the different people I saw in passing on the Bay Trail. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/10 "2022-12-18T20:57:21Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > IMO, it’s MUCH easier to get motivated to run outdoors. At least part of this is probably that it’s a lot easier to cheat on a treadmill. Let’s say that your goal is to run six miles. If you’re on a treadmill, it’s easy to get to, say, the 5.5 mile mark, and say “OK, that rounds up to 6, close enough”. If you map out a 6-mile outdoor course, though, and run 5.5 miles of it, one way or another you still have to go that last half-mile to get home. You can still cheat on an actual course, of course. Just stop a quarter-mile short of your planned turnaround point. But that’s first of all a more concrete milestone, and second, the necessary point for cheating would be the midpoint of your run, when you’re still only half-tired, not the very end. An outdoor run can also have a purpose other than exercise. Maybe you have some letters to drop off at the mailbox, or a few small things you need to pick up from the store, or the like. You have to travel to the mailbox or store or whatever anyway; it might as well be by running. And it’s also a lot easier to exercise a dog or other pet outdoors than with a treadmill. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/11 "2022-12-18T21:14:14Z")
Jogging outdoors is better in terms of actually _training_ your fitness, as opposed to just generally trying to be more active. If you ever wanted to compete in a race, you would want your training to mimic the climate and terrain as closely as possible. From your OP, it sounds like this doesn’t apply to you, though. Jogging in different climates and terrains will better train your functional fitness, but if your goal is simply to get moving, a treadmill should be fine for that. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/12 "2022-12-18T21:25:45Z")
I’m not much of a runner these days. I was for a couple years long ago. But I am a walker. Like 3-5 miles at a crack. And I use 5 minutes at 3.5-4.0 mph on a treadmill at the gym as a warmup before weightlifting. I can happily walk for _hours_ outdoors or speedwalk for an hour. After 3 _minutes_ on that bleeping warm-up treadmill I’m looking for any excuse to quit this stupid task and get on to something else in the gym. The shear unpleasant noise, pounding, and boredom of a treadmill is a total deal-breaker for me. My now-deceased first wife was for a while a personal trainer. One of her sayings: > **Q** : What’s the best exercise for me? > **A** : The one you’ll do. It’s increasingly hard for me to know which ones I’ll still do. But it’s real easy to know which one I won’t do: a treadmill. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/13 "2022-12-18T21:42:13Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Treadmills aren’t nicknamed dreadmills for nothing. I can’t stand a treadmill, but use one when I have no other alternative. This. There’s a reason Ebenezer Scrooge mentioned treadmills\*\* as a form of punishment in _A Christmas Carol_. \*\*. Yes, I realize they’re not exactly the same as they were back in Dickens’s day, but it’s still close enough. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/14 "2022-12-18T21:44:24Z")
It depends on what you like and why you run. Though indoors offers the advantages you list, machines are a fascimile of the natural exercise. Running outdoors: 1. Allows for specific conditioning - hills, sand, etc. 2. Prepares one better for races or sports 3. Is more variable 4. Has the potential to see more interesting places 5. Is more social 6. May allow one to exercise the dog, etc. 7. Allows higher rates of exertion 8. Feels more extreme 9. Is less claustrophobic 10. Let’s more people know you run (self-identity) 11. Is more “paleo” or natural 12. Allows training specifics - relays, fartlek ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/15 "2022-12-18T22:00:21Z")
Oh, and let’s not forget that treadmills cost money, but sidewalks are free. Or at least, already paid for, whether you use them or not. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/16 "2022-12-18T23:04:24Z")
When I was getting back into moving after surgery two summers ago, I bought one of those stands that lets you turn your bicycle into a stationary bike. I didn’t worry much about walking once it was OKed, but still started with short distances. I was doing yoga after 4 weeks, but yoga had the same advantage the stationary bike offered-- being able to stop immediately if something didn’t feel right. I could be biking outside, and get stuck somewhere. Thing is, I love biking, normally. When I was younger, and had the time to do it, I biked absolutely everywhere, including to work. Now, I occasionally bike to the store, if I don’t need anything big. I used to bike to yoga, but my current studio is too far to be able to make it in the kind of time I have now. I’d love to bike more if I could. Hated the stationary bike. I tried watching TV at the same time, and even that didn’t help. I know one reason was that the rate of pedalling never varied-- no coasting, no hills. But just the fact of the set-up reminded me that it was a chore. That was really it, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/17 "2022-12-19T00:41:08Z")
Ah, I see. Yeah, I am not planning to compete in anything, just running for lowering-blood-sugar’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/18 "2022-12-19T00:53:30Z")
You can get a more strenuous workout outdoors, if you’re running in a hilly area. Running on a sloped treadmill does not give the same level of exertion as actually running up a hill. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/19 "2022-12-19T03:30:50Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Yeah, I am not planning to compete in anything, just running for lowering-blood-sugar’s sake. The thing is, will you? If you dislike the treadmill, running will quickly stop being a viable activity for you. It may not happen, I have plenty of runner friends who embrace the treadmill. But they will run outside if it is possible because it’s so much more enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747/20 "2022-12-19T05:26:21Z")
Unless you have really bad luck, you rarely step in feces on a treadmill. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-than-enjoying-the-elements-is-there-anything-that-makes-outdoors-running-better-than-indoors-treadmilling/976747.md?page=2)