Pavement vs Treadmill

Gregg Mrkvicka · Mar 13, 2013

My barefoot running has been limited to the TM this winter, up to 4 miles. After 1 mile on the pavement Friday the right knee got very achy. Running shod, no pain if form is good, but lateral movement and walking barefoot causes pain. Dr says keep my shoes on for the next week or two.

Is treadmill that much softer that a mile on hard pavement was too much?

migangelo · Mar 13, 2013

if you can get someone to video you on both. if your knee is hurting you maybe heel striking and not know it.

Go Barefoot · Mar 13, 2013

I have noticed that my form changes when on a TM BF compared to when actually running BF outside on hard pavement. For me running on a TM doesnt seem to be a very good simulator to running BF outside. I too have had to resort to TM running this winter when the weather was too cold.

A video as migangelo sugested would probably show whats going on when on the TM.

Gregg Mrkvicka · Mar 13, 2013

I'll see if I can get some video this weekend. That sounds scary!

Barefoot Gentile · Mar 13, 2013

Pavement all the way! Avoid all soft surfaces in the beginning stages of barefoot running, the feed back is a false feed back. I personally hate treadmills, i never even used them when I ran in shoes, to run on them barefoot is even worse. You need solid ground to dial in your form, foot landing, and weight distribution.

Arianna · Mar 13, 2013

Personally I think TMs are terrible. I get so thrown off balance and my form is terrible. I'm more focused on trying not to trip and kill myself than landing correctly. They also tend to shred up my feet because of the belt. I just run back and forth around my house or do the Wii Fit running when it's too cold for outside.

BFwillie_g · Mar 13, 2013

I agree with the sentiments above. Treadmills don't really prepare you for the real world.

Maybe the problem with the OP wasn't so much the pavement as the full mile. It might have been too much real world for the first attempt.

But knee issues are def unusual with BFR. So, yeah, form issues have to be considered. And overstriding would be my first guess, too.

shaunmac · Mar 14, 2013

I'll disagree with some on here about treadmills. Sure it's not the greatest but if your options are in the winter to: A. not run or B. run on a treadmill, take option B.
That said, there is a transition period once you get back onto pavement. I know myself, my ankles and legs will be sore for a little while. It didn't matter if it was barefoot or shod. Take it easy for a week or so.

paraganek · Mar 14, 2013

Arianna said:
Personally I think TMs are terrible. I get so thrown off balance and my form is terrible. I'm more focused on trying not to trip and kill myself than landing correctly.

I am the same way. Some find it hard to believe but I never ran on a treadmill in my life until recently (joined a gym and was curious to find out how these people can run on a moving belt) and it was a disaster for me. I had to force myself hard to my usual barefoot form and it still did not work. These beasts are far away from a natural running style for me.

Antonio Madriñán · Mar 15, 2013

caution with treadmills that are very dangerous, I have seen people with large burns, to tape using minimalist shoes, and think that the soft and unstable flooring will make our foot muscles are strengthened

JustSayGo · Mar 17, 2013

Was the outside mile flat or was this your first uneven terrain in a while? I run about 30 miles/week on the treadmill during winter (Pittsburgh) and head out minshod for long runs on weekends. Haven't had any problems running on the TM, and did 8 miles barefoot outside when we had a warm day, also no problems. Pavement can definitely be harder on the soles than a tread belt, but it shouldn't be THAT much harder.

Mike R · Mar 19, 2013

On a treadmill, the "ground" is moving underneath you and all you need to do is lift your feet and put them back down, kind of like running in place. On the road, you also have to propel yourself forward, which uses different muscles. IMHO

paraganek · Mar 19, 2013

Mike R said:
On a treadmill, the "ground" is moving underneath you and all you need to do is lift your feet and put them back down, kind of like running in place. On the road, you also have to propel yourself forward, which uses different muscles. IMHO

That sort of explains my incompatibility with treadmills. When running, to propel myself forward all I do is just lean forward in ankles and let the gravity do the work.
When I tried to do that on a treadmill I hit the control panel with my forehead (and don't remember the rest) :shy:

Bare Lee · Mar 20, 2013

The only aerobic machine I can take for more than 2 minutes is a rower and that's probably because I've never been spoiled by the feeling of rowing a proper sports rower on open water, but even then, my tolerance is limited. But hey, if some folks can do treadmills no problem, more power to them. There were definitely a few days this winter when I wondered what the heck I was doing running outside freezing either my feet or my face off, but in the end, it's exhilarating, and I'm always glad I made the effort, especially since I spend most of my day inside at a desk.

JustSayGo · Mar 20, 2013

Mike R said:
On a treadmill, the "ground" is moving underneath you and all you need to do is lift your feet and put them back down, kind of like running in place. On the road, you also have to propel yourself forward, which uses different muscles. IMHO

As a physicist, it's all a matter of perspective. Either the ground moves beneath you and you have to run to stay in place, or the ground beneath you is fixed and you have to run to move forward. The relative motion is identical up to two differences. Outside, you have to overcome wind resistance. On a treadmill, there is generally more of a spring to the platform than there is to pavement. Other than those two factors, I don't see the big difference.

Tanman · Mar 20, 2013

I can run long way on pavement and not worry about blisters....20 minutes on the treadmill and I more often than not get some especially doing a fairly fast run...No substitute for fresh air and scenery... winters are OK South Australia...we are lucky that way.

Sid · Mar 20, 2013

A treadmill is not the same as pavement.
http://runnersconnect.net/running-training-articles/treadmill-running-easier/

Haven't run on a treadmill in over a decade. My joints feel a lot better when I run on trails vs. pavement.

Bill B · Mar 22, 2013

Bare Lee said:
The only aerobic machine I can take for more than 2 minutes is a rower and that's probably because I've never been spoiled by the feeling of rowing a proper sports rower on open water, but even then, my tolerance is limited. But hey, if some folks can do treadmills no problem, more power to them. There were definitely a few days this winter when I wondered what the heck I was doing running outside freezing either my feet or my face off, but in the end, it's exhilarating, and I'm always glad I made the effort, especially since I spend most of my day inside at a desk.

I'm with you on that! Can't do a treadmill at all! At least when you're outside and five miles from home, you're motivated to run back (take too long to walk it), instead of just getting off the treadmill.

Pavement vs Treadmill

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