Runners/Joggers Question

Fair warning...once you start running outside you're going to LOVE it!

I know I would rather run outside in the rain, cold, snow, sleet, whatever rather than inside on the treadmill.  I love the other cardio machines (especially the rowing machine and arc trainer) at the gym, but I just can't stand the treadmill anymore. 

Running outside rocks  :)

do you love it more than the rowing machine?  cuz you seem to be especially loving that! 

if it was socially acceptable for me to marry the rowing machine at the gym i probably would..

but if i could run without something (aka - my a$$) hurting i'd probably love that more!

Thanks Katie, i could just imagine if im a cardio addict now it will only intensify once i hit the open pavement. I think running period rocks. Im learning so much today.

 running outside is great,, but for me, there is a huge difference as far as the impact on my body - 6-10 miles on the roads and hills completely wears me out, and I usually need an off day after a longer run as the legs and knees are aching, yet I can do the same on the tm, in a faster time, and feel so much better, barely any old man aces and pains.  I intersperse outdoor runs with tm runs and occasionally lately an elliptical workout, as a way of keeping it easy on the joints - but I am getting to where I simply can't stand long runs on the tm, so I do them all outside.  Course now I am also road biking, also again as a way of having good workouts with less impact.

Way to go Andrew, you have done great in less than a year, kudos to you. I do have a knee issue that i started having before surgery and occassionally it gives me a problem but i just push through it. Thank so much for your advice.

I agree with all of the other posters about jogging outdoors being more of a workout, but maybe a little rougher on your body, than on a treadmill.  I've been getting into jogging since my surgery, and enjoy both for different reasons.  The Texas weather and some long work days are usually what decide my location. 
My treadmill tips - 1)  never run on the treadmill without some sort of incline, no mattter how small, and 2)  being in front of a television does wonders.  I invested in a nice treadmill and have it in what was supposed to be a media room.  As a new jogger, I struggle with distance but find that if my mind is distracted and I'm not checking my distance every minute, I can run further. 
That's my single biggest tip I can offer as a newbie - your mind is your biggest hurdle when it comes to jogging.  I have always been the fat chick, and my mind told me "we" don't jog.  I started out with the Couch to 5K program.  Each week, when he said how long we would run, I gasped and thought "I can never do that".  But each week I did, and by about week 5 I trusted that that training program (and any other well-written program) really does set a person up for safe success. 
I can readily do a 5k now, and have switched my focus from getting the distance to improving my speed.  I am what is referred to as a penguin (because I look like one when I jog....errrr....shuffle), so I'm not trying to improve my time and get to 30 minutes or less.  Just hit a new PR tonight at 36:44.  Quit laughing, runners!  But, once I hit a decent time for the 5k, it's on to a 10k for me.
I digress, though.....back to the mind limits.  These days, I love to mark my progress on my "first" limit, which is my body.  I love the feeling I get when my body may say "that's it" at mile 2 or mile 2.5....but I now have a brain that says "oh yeah, you jus****ch me".  Your mind can carry you through (not that I'm totally saying to ignore painful body signs).  That's a thrill.  Same thing for when my body says a comfortable pace is 4.5 mph but my mind says I can do better than that.  Enjoy those small mental victories.
Best of luck - I'm sure you'll start out well, given what you can already do on other cardio!

No runners laughing at anybody here!! I'm pretty sure we ALL started out slow...I know I did, my first 5k was 34:36, and my best so far is 28:33...not bad for only having started running about a year ago.  I say shoot for the 10k, you got this!!

Thanks, and I will.  I'm just judging PR's now by my timing on the treadmill.  My first actual 5k official race is this saturday morning.  I'll let you all know if I beat the folks walking the 5k this week!  hahahaha

Congrats on your success so far!

Lots of people have lots of opinions on what is good, better, best.  I have trained on a TM for as long as I've been running and I've done 2 full and 4 half marathons, several 10k's, and some 5k's.  I can pretty much tell how fast I'm running on the road during a race simply because of my experience running.  My speed is also about the same either way.  I have enough trouble with GI issues that it's much safer for me to run where I have easy access to a potty room.  For me, that's the bottom line.

All I can suggest is do what is comfortable to YOU.  Running on any surface is different from the elliptical machines, so just be prepared for that.  I really enjoy running and having some time to listen to music I love.

BTW, I'm 6.5 years post-op and still involved in running, triathlon, and outdoor recreation.

Take care and whatever you do, just have fun with it.  If it's not fun, you won't keep at it.

Linn