Running on a treadmill has advantages and disadvantages. You can find treadmills in most gyms, and can easily program the treadmill to go at the speed you desire. You can set the incline, and oftentimes change the units of measurement that the treadmill uses to measure how far you've run. However, the main argument against treadmill running centers around the fact that the treadmill is a substitute for the road or track; because on a treadmill your workout is inherently "different" than your workout would be on a non-moving surface. There are also arguments against characteristics of treadmill running that regular running doesn't share.
Softer Surface
The conveyor belt you run on when running on a treadmill is more forgiving than most ordinary surfaces, such as a concrete sidewalk, an asphalt road or even a dirt trail. With each footstrike the belt absorbs a high degree of shock. If you're logging a significant number of miles each week, running on a forgiving surface can help you minimize soreness in your leg muscles around your shins and minimize the impact of your mileage on your bones, too. According to studies cited in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, this can lead to fewer stress fractures for those who train heavily on treadmills.
Moving Surface
Because you're running on a moving surface rather than a stationary plane, when you run indoors you avoid wind resistance that makes you work harder outside. For this reason treadmill running is often put down, because it requires less exertion for a runner to run the same distance. According to a study cited in an article on treadmill workouts for the New York Times, people can run 11.5 percent faster on treadmills than outdoors. So one disadvantage of running on a treadmill is that to get the same training effect on a treadmill as you would training outside, you might need to run a bit longer. Experts cited in the Times article recommended setting the incline of the treadmill at 1 percent to compensate for the lack of wind resistance.
Boredom
Running in the same place for a long time can get really, really boring. Without the diversion of changing scenery and changing terrain, some runners find that the monotony of the treadmill is discouraging. But others appreciate the control that treadmill running gives them, especially in parts of the country where harsh winters would mean that if there were no treadmill running, it wouldn't be possible to run at all during the iciest, coldest months.
Technical Issues
One possible problem with treadmill running is that you're out of luck if the machine breaks. Also, you just have to take the machine at its word for the mileage and pace it tells you you're going at.
Multitasking
If you just need to get in a basic training run, one thing treadmill running permits more than running outdoors does is multitasking. You can listen to music or even watch TV or a movie while on a treadmill; while it's of course possible to listen to headphones during a run outside, this is advised against because it makes you unaware of your surroundings and possible dangers such as cars or would-be attackers.
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