In terms of forgiving surfaces, the treadmill definitely has an advantage. "There's no doubt, a treadmill's surface is softer than asphalt. Treadmill makers have gotten very good at what they do," says Mindy Solkin, owner of The Running Center in New York City. But while a treadmill may offer a more forgiving surface, it forces you into a shorter stride and changes your biomechanics, which can set you up for injury, Solkin says. "You're not running through space, you're just picking up your legs. The surface is moving under you instead of you moving over the surface."

While an occasional treadmill trip is fine if you're training for a marathon and there's a blizzard outside, there's really no comparison between treadmill running and road running. You can simulate hills if you tell the machine to do so, but there are, as Solkin points out, no downhills, no turns, no wind resistance.

If your jury's still out, remember that baseball players go to batting cages, but they don't play games there. "You're not going to run a race or a marathon on a treadmill," Solkin says. "Running is a sport, and you don't perform the sport of running on a treadmill. That's just for fitness." If you're concerned about too much pounding of the pavement, do some of your runs on a dirt or cinder path. But make the treadmill a detour rather than a thoroughfare.

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