I caught a glimpse of small Bobcat plowing a long stretch of running path near my house yesterday, and thought, “Yippeee! I can run outside!        F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!” And so I did. And it was harder. So thought I’d share some helpful tips for you, avid runner girls, to ease the transition from treadmill to trail.

5 Tips for taking your run outdoors

1. The first run outside after a long winter of treadmill running WILL BE HARDER. If you haven’t stepped foot outdoors since the first snowfall, which for Ohio folk, was before Christmas, then you might want to spend a couple of weeks weaning yourself off the treadmill. If “0″ incline is your standard setting for indoor runs, gradually start bumping it up in .5% grades until you reach 2 or 2.5% incline. Why?  Because that incline most closely mimics the natural terrain.

2. Outdoors, the trail does not move for you. Sure, treadmill workouts can be very challenging, especially if you’re using the inclines for hill repeats, etc. But let’s face it – it is mentally challenging enough to run inside on the hamster wheel without adding the challenge of making our muscles work harder than you want them to they need to. Expect your first outdoor run to feel different. Your legs might be expecting the pull the treadmill gave them through each stride. Now, you have to do all that work. Alas, this is not a bad thing.

3. Do hit the ground running, but not at full throttle. As you accustom your muscles and joints to their somewhat new motor pattern, it is probably wise to ease into your typical run. If you usually run 30 minutes indoors, start with 20 outdoors, and gradually work back up to 30 minutes.

4. Watch your hat. Depending on where you live, spring can be very windy. Again, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it provides resistance and helps improve endurance. But indoors, there is no wind to contend with, except from the chatterboxes nearby. I could spend an entire post venting about these chatty sorts who talk 90% of the time and exercise the other 10, but not today. If you wear a hat, bobby pin it to your head, or skip it altogether – otherwise, the constant tugging on it to keep it on your head will drive you crazy. It drove me crazy this morning.

5. Get new scoots. If you’ve been wearing the same pair of running shoes all winter and have logged 300 or more miles on them, treat yourself to a new pair. Whether the path you run on outdoors is concrete, asphalt, or packed dirt, it will be harder on your skeleton than the forgiving structure of the treadmill. A brand new pair of shoes will add some cushioning to help you transition from treadmill to trail.

Adios, and here’s to an enjoyable outdoor run! Finally!