treadmill to outside

for the past three months i've been walking - now running - on a treadmill at the gym. i'm up to 5 mph (incline of at least 1) for about 20-30 min. i'd like to run a 5k around january but i'm having trouble making the transition from indoor to outdoor running. i love the treadmill, i can pace myself really well and i like the air conditioned, protected environment. when i try running outside it seems more difficult to pace myself, my movements are not as smooth and i find i run faster because i'm getting distracted by the noises/sights/etc. any tips?

What you're experiencing is not at all unusual.  There are several variables between treadmill running and running on the road - some or many of which are contributing factors to the difficulties you're having with your transition.  1.  When you run on the road, you must exert more energy - with the treadmill your forward progress is assisted my the moving belt.  On the road it's all you.   2.  On the road you're dealing with wind resistance not present indoors, so once again you're having to exert more energy to run the same speed as on the treadmill.   3.  On the road, your stride is shorter - the ground isn't moving underneath as it does with the treadmill. 4. Physically your body is met with more resistance on the road.  On the treadmill, your constantly on a smooth, flat, somewhat cushioned surface which absorbs the impact. These are some of the reasons why you will tire much faster outdoors on the road than indoors on the treadmill...it's an apples to oranges comparison. Suggestion is to continue to work on your running on both the treadmill and the track.  You must be sure to adjust your expectations due to the variables described above.  Establish a baseline for the treadmill and a different baseline for the road so you can track your progress with each.  As you get closer to 5K time in January you'll want to increase your time/distance outdoors and decrease indoor training...this will ensure that you've trained closer to the actual environment of the 5K.   Hope this helps! Cards Fan Springfield, MO

thanks carl! you've made some really great points and i'll be benchmarking my progress and slowly transitioning to outdoor training these next few months!