treadmill vs outside

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wardiemelissa
wardiemelissa Posts: 365 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello,

I have been running for about a year now and started last fall/winter running on my treadmill. Once it got nice out I obviously started running outside. Now I would rather run outside but on some days it just doesn't happen so treadmill it is...Here is my question: is anyone else's pace on a treadmill slower than outside? Yesterday I ran 3.27 miles in just under 32 minutes outside. Today I ran 3.19 miles in 35 minutes. I'm SO confused because I felt good running, wasn't tired, and ran between 5.5 and 6.5 mph. Any ideas??

Replies

  • sugarbuzz74
    sugarbuzz74 Posts: 17 Member
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    I've heard that treadmill running is easier and should feel easier because there isn't any wind or change in terrain. I typically run faster on the treadmill (but like running outside better).
  • krow0916
    krow0916 Posts: 1
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    I'm actually the opposite. I can run farther on the elliptical than outside. I think you just need to listen to your body on that day and do what feels best. Some days I can run 5 miles in 40 mins on the Elliptical, and like today, I only had 3.5 miles in me.
    Just listen to your body..that's my only advice..
  • Oranda
    Oranda Posts: 121
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    I'm like you, I run faster outside. I have heard it is supposed to be easier on the treadmill. I suspect that it may be that my mind wanders more freely when I'm outside and there is scenery to look at and such, but I really don't know.
  • ColoradoClyde
    ColoradoClyde Posts: 6
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    Well, how do feel about running on the treadmill? I can cycle for an hour at lunch, come back and complain that I would have gone longer but I had to get back to work. But on a stationary bike, 30m minutes and that's it, I'm done. Maybe you're running faster outside because you like it more.
  • jclguru
    jclguru Posts: 123
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    Hello,

    I have been running for about a year now and started last fall/winter running on my treadmill. Once it got nice out I obviously started running outside. Now I would rather run outside but on some days it just doesn't happen so treadmill it is...Here is my question: is anyone else's pace on a treadmill slower than outside? Yesterday I ran 3.27 miles in just under 32 minutes outside. Today I ran 3.19 miles in 35 minutes. I'm SO confused because I felt good running, wasn't tired, and ran between 5.5 and 6.5 mph. Any ideas??

    I'm that way. I run 5.5 to 6.0 on the treadmill, which felt 'fast' to me. When I ran my first 5k and was timed about
    6 minutes faster than my treadmill time, I'm think wth? Especially since it felt like I run slower outdoors. But I've
    ran other races since then and its always the same.

    Doug
  • Beth720
    Beth720 Posts: 661 Member
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    I seem to average out to about even, but lately my outside pace has been slower. Of course, I was tending to run slightly faster than the treadmill. I'm not sure what the difference is...the other day I thought I had really picked up my pace outside only to come home, look at my Garmin data and discover that I was the same pace or a smidge slower than the runs before that.

    Regarding the race pace, I think most people find that they run slightly faster in a race with all the adrenaline, etc.

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