Subject: RE: Outside running compared to inside running The treadmill does NOT propel your feet forward. Your muscles propel your feet forward to counteract the backward movement of the belt. So the net effect is staying in place. The treadmill doesn't help you move forward - this is a misconception. The biomechanics might be a bit different for some people, especially those that don't regularly run on treadmills.
If you don't believe me, have someone secretly come up and unplug the treadmill while you are on it-- you will find your body propelled onto the console.
(I'm just kidding-- I don't recommend this, but know people it's happened to-- power outage, accidentally pulling the emergency stop cord, etc. )
Anyway, there are lots of variables with treadmills as others have said-- they aren't always calibrated correctly. Some have a small incline by default, which will make you go a slightly slower pace for the same effort. Or your HR could be higher because the room was warmer and you don't have the cooling effect of moving through the air.
I'm always faster on the treadmill than outside. But I really enjoy it and just consider it a different place to run. I'm also faster on the track than the road, and slower on trail than on the road. I just adjust my pace accordingly for the effort I want. |