Although I haven’t really been able to get back on the proverbial horse that is running, I plan to soon. I’ve given my ankle two week of limited activity so it’s time. Plus if I want to lose any weight before blogher, I need to get my ass back into gear!
I don’t know how summers are in your area but here they are BRUTAL! The temperatures are 80-90+ which wouldn’t be so bad if the humidity wasn’t also about 40% or more. I hate heat. I have a huge preference for the cold. And I probably wouldn’t care so much but it’s really the humidity that kills me. I can go out in Arizona when its 100-105 but I try to not even leave the house if it’s about 80 here in Illinois!
Being that I am a hater of summers I see myself at crossroads. Will I run indoors in the cool air or will I be sweating my booty off by going outside? I decided to make a list of positives for each location and see where it leaves me.
Outside-
• Feels Shorter- The times I have run outside seem to fly by a lot faster than the times that I am in the gym on the treadmill. I don’t know if it’s because I look at the phone/clock less or if it’s because I can’t really judge my distance on the treadmill. It’s honestly probably a combination for both factors. Either way running outside doesn’t seem to take as long.
• Feel better- I always come off the treadmill a little bit sore. My knees and my ankles hurt a tad afterwards until I walk it out. Maybe that’s how it is for everyone though. When I run outside, even when I encounter hills and different terrains, I feel good afterwards. My thighs are a little sore from hills but that’s something I expect in any work out.
• Varying Speeds- Even though treadmills have an interval speed setting, I find myself hurting by trying to go a consistent speed. Sometimes it hurts my shins or wears me down faster than normal. I know you can slow it down and speed it up as you please but really that’s more of hassle. When I’m outside, I can slow down or speed up as needed. It’s not hard and I feel better at the end of everything!
Inside-
• Air and Fans- Feeling cool while running is a big deal to me. I mean if I get too hot I don’t feel like I can keep going. The heat seems to tire me faster. Being able to work out inside would be ideal on those hot days. It’s either indoors, wait for early morning or go close to the time the sun sets. I don’t seem to get so over heated when I’m running at the gym. The indoors is climate controlled so it doesn’t seem to be an issue.
• Anytime- My gym is 24 hours a day. I could go at 4 am or once it gets dark if I wanted with no problem. Outdoors I only feel comfortable running if it’s light out. It’s also a safety hazard to run outside at night without reflective gear, which I don’t own. The 24 hour gym is a real convenience because there are times when 10pm is the only time during the day that I can get out.
• Feels Safer- As I mentioned above running at night can be dangerous without the right gear but that isn’t the only safety hazard. I don’t feel 100% safe in our area. I mean honestly people just scare me no matter where I am. So I really find neighborhood within driving distance that I can go to. But since I don’t always go the same way in the neighborhood I visit, my husband doesn’t know where I am. I also don’t feel safe because I can’t hear what’s going on behind me. I know it’s usually just paranoia but it freaks me out enough to want my husband walking behind me while I run so he can pay attention. I don’t have the same worries in a gym filled with people. Usually people are there to do their thing and be done with it.
I wish my gym had a track because that would really be the best of both worlds for me. Our local community center has one but they charge about 3 dollars for the use of it per time. If I ran even 4 times in a week that right there would cost more than a month at my gym. As of right now, I will probably just work on getting faster and maybe that will help with the treadmill problems.
Where do you prefer to run?
