Treadmill vs. Actual Running?

I used a treadmill for the last 8 months for my running and just about 2 weeks ago I started going outside(half marathon to run, needed to learn to pace myself) and it actually isnt as hard as you'd think. The beauty with running outside is that you have geographical markers that you can set yourself(I want to be at that tree in 4 mins, I want to catch up to that girl walking by the turn etc...) which the treadmill, well there's only so long you can look at yourself, or watch people doing lat pulldowns in my case:)

Dont knock the treadmill though....it serves it purpose
 
Thanks for all these replies. I've been reading them and doing some googling on stuff that interests me, especially Karky's comments on how its a different muscle movement.

I definitely agree with what a lot of people are saying about how no matter how you run it's still going to give you a good cardiovascular workout. Unfortunately for me I'm looking to do a little more than that, so proper mechanics and stuff is what I gotta focus on. I also feel like running on a track/street is more tiring than on a treadmill, and that horrifies me.

I live in Minnesota, so I've still got about a month and a half before running outside will be a real possiblity again. But I'm definitely going to try and find a track so I can do some real running. I don't want to step out onto a field to start running, look down, and ask to someone "How come the ground hasn't started moving yet?"
 
I tend to believe that distance running, more so than anything else, is as much about training your mind as it is about training your body.

A treadmill doesn't do this - set it up, and phase out.

On the roads, you have to stay aware of yourself so that you can push yourself.

I believe that doing this trains a mentality that always proves extremely beneficial in all other areas of fitness - and for that matter, life.
 
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