hey everyone- got a couple of questions that maybe one of you will know the answers to:

my mom challenged me to run a 5k with her in the spring (which is good; we're kinda competitive with each other and this is giving me a goal and a reason to get into the gym). we both chose different programs to train for it (we're both equally not runners), and i chose c25k and i've been doing it on the treadmill. i told my boyfriend about this to get his insight/how he feels about it because he's super knowledgeable about just about any type of fitness. he told me that because i'm still overweight right now, running on the treadmill is probably best for my knees, joints, etc. since treadmills have more give than pavement or regular track. but he also brought to my attention that if i'm going to be actually running a 5k, it's not going to be on the treadmill. he told me treadmills, since they're kind of a conveyor belt type thing, actually propel your feet and everything backwards and you just kind of keep up with the pace. he suggested that maybe i start incorporating running outside or on the track since during the real 5k i won't be just keeping up with the treadmill and that actually having to propel yourself forward while running takes a few different muscles than running on a treadmill.

so basically my question is, has anyone used the c25k (on a treadmill) to train for an actual 5k? how hard was it to make the switch to not running on a treadmill once it came time?

I think incorporating road or track running if you are intending on running a race is a good idea. I started C25K with a friend of mine who was terribly out of shape when we began. She also has significant knee issues. Getting properly fitted for running shoes helped a lot, and the further we got in the program the better she managed.

Since it's winter I now run solo on a treadmill and I have been making a point to run a couple of laps on the indoor track to make sure I can keep my pace. I also make sure to challenge myself with slight inclines and increasing my speed so I don't get too comfortable. If you are limited to running on a treadmill, maybe you can do your running intervals at an incline and alternate your normal jogging pace with a faster pace?

those are good ideas, junebug, thank you for the advice! i'll definitely try inclines...it's not something i've done before but it seems like it would be appropriately challenging. i think i'm going to start incorporating running on the track in a little more once i get a little more comfortable with the actual running - i'm just starting week 2 of c25k now.

I completed the first four weeks entirely on the treadmill, because it's very hot where I live. And, erm, culturally, women don't run or do much outside here, so I have to go to the club anyway, whether I end up exercising inside or out. I ran outside for the first time this week, and decided to repeat week 4 because I had heard the treadmill makes it easier. But it wasn't noticeably harder to run outside on real ground. In some ways it was easier, because it was more fun! I wasn't as bored and I didn't check my iPod program as many times to see if the five minute run was about to be over yet. The only thing was an odd disorientation at first that the ground was moving under me as I ran, ha.

Now it is really hot and dusty again and I have terrible hay fever, so I think I will have to go inside again for week 5.