Treadmill vs. Outdoors

[Nutmeg]

I don't know if this has already been a topic for recent conversation, but is there a significant difference between running on a treadmill and running outside on asphalt? I was really discouraged last week when I ran at about 4.2 miles on the treadmill for a very short time and was completely exhausted since I've been running about that outside for twice as long. But when I went running on Sat., I ran further and faster than ever and it felt 100 time easier than the treadmill. Was it just me? Neither time was there much of an incline, and the only difference that I can think of is that the exercise room was significantly hotter than it's been when I run outside.

[aggie94]

My new PT asked me this morning about how fast I was running on the treadmill at the gym, and I replied somewhere between 6 and 6.5 mph (depending on how I'm feeling). He said this translates to about 7 mph in reality, which explains my confusion when I tried to duplicate my 5K finish in March on the treadmill a few days later. He tried to explain to me how it works, but I only caught that it has something to do with the treadmill affecting your natural stride and the added effort it takes your body to adjust or compensate for differences. If anyone has a better explanation, I'd love to hear it!

BTW, new PT also said I need to change running/walking surfaces. So no more treadmill for me (he says they vary a lot anyway, so one treadmill might be a lot worse than asphalt as far as how forgiving it is). I've got to do my 5 45-minute walks a week on something else, i.e. wood chip trail or asphalt.

[KValley]

What great timing this topic is! Just last week I tried to duplicate my outdoor time on the treadmill and was baffled when I couldn't keep up the pace for long (6 mph). Even at a slower pace, I feel as if I am working harder on a treadmill than outdoors. It's so good to know that it isn't me!

Since last week's discussion about running surfaces, I am making a huge effort to run on asphalt. I'm wishing there was a wood chip trail nearby. My 5K on Saturday was on a track. I really like the surface, but running 'round and 'round a track is DEADLY boring.

[aggie94]

LOL, Julie! I hate that feeling of wondering, "was that lap 7, or 8? Now, I've lost count!"

[KaliforniaKim]

The bad thing about treadmills is that you can't always rely on their accuracy. Therefore, you could just blame it on the equipment.

I do think it's much easier to run outside (faster and farther). I don't know if it's the extra oxygen, the changing scenery, or a mental thing.

Kim

[donleyk]

This is just an amazing topic to me. I would have said that outside was much harder. Especially with the wind factor, I always assumed outside was more difficult. Well now, I will just need to rethink how hard I'm trying out there. Maybe it is all in my head!

[MelissaAS]

I have to agree that I always feel like it's harder outside than in. Maybe it's just that I'm used to the treadmill feeling, but outside that pavement feels hard- especially when it's concrete sidewalk! But the fresh air is certainly a nice bonus http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[emilycat]

Let me just preface this by saying that I loathe the treadmill. For me, running is all about being outside, with a relative amount of solitude, being alone with my thoughts and the pavement (asphalt http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif ). So I suppose I'm a bit biased, and for me, the greater difficulty of running on the treadmill is at least partly mental.
But, it is actually more difficult to run on the treadmill mechanically. The motion of the treadmill pulls the ground away from you, making it more difficult to keep the same pace. Not only that, the sheer boredom factor for many people of running on a treadmill make the same distance, say an arbitrary 4 miles, seem like an eternity on the darned thing.
In terms of ease on your joints, different machines do differ, but in general, the treadmill is only a bit softer than aspalt, at 6.5 (Asphalt is a 6).
The most important factor, though, is which method helps you to run farther and more often. You'll stick with running longer if you enjoy it, so your best choice is whatever works for you.

[Nutmeg]

I knew that I brought my question to the right place http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif I'm so glad that I wasn't just off last week when I couldn't do my regular time and speed on the treadmill. At least it gave me an extra boost when my Sat. run went so well!

As for difficulty, I also think it has a lot to do with your comfort zone. For a long time, I ran on the treadmill and got into the routine of going to the gym after some mildly scary runs in my neighborhood (loose dogs mostly), and I would've sworn that running on the treadmill was so much easier b/c you control the "hills," no wind, lots of active people around, etc. But this time around, I've only been running outside with the exception of that one time and going back to the treadmill seems unthinkable as long as I have somewhere safe to run outside. So I guess it's all relative.