Treadmill VS track

because you have to use your body more to move yourself. the ground is not moving under your feet on its own. Also you have other factors playing which are not in play while running on the treadmil, such as win resistance, track surface differences.
this is why you are feeling the difference in running outside v inside.

Are you guys sure? Newton's 3rd law of motion says that if you're pushing off to walk, the surface is pushing back, so if the surface is already moving that wouldn't mean it's any easier or harder to walk on. The only difference would be the amount of friction on the surface and I would think both would have similar coefficients of friction.

I'm a biologist, not a physicist, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

That said, I would think the difference is psychological. Because the treadmill isn't telling you how fast you should be running, you are running at a different rate which may disorient your body to how it's used to moving (like how you can stay balanced blindfolded, but that doesn't mean you walk the same speed even if you know there's nothing in front of you to run into).

The rule of thumb is that, to expend the same amount of energy that you expend running on the road, you should put the treadmill at a 10% incline. So that says to me that the treadmill is easier.

This is also why walking on a moving sidewalk (i.e., escalator) takes energy than walking on the carpet next to it. :happy:

I find, because the track is a softer surface than a road, that it's easier to run on it than the road, but not as easy as the treadmill.

running on a treadmill is way easier on your body than running on a track or dirt. A track is more unstable and pushes you more. Thats why some people debate about that. Some say its better to run outside rather than in a gym because it puts you in better shape and the fresh air is better. Im not sure tho. Not a doctor. lol.

Are you guys sure? Newton's 3rd law of motion says that if you're pushing off to walk, the surface is pushing back, so if the surface is already moving that wouldn't mean it's any easier or harder to walk on. The only difference would be the amount of friction on the surface and I would think both would have similar coefficients of friction.

I'm a biologist, not a physicist, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

That said, I would think the difference is psychological. Because the treadmill isn't telling you how fast you should be running, you are running at a different rate which may disorient your body to how it's used to moving (like how you can stay balanced blindfolded, but that doesn't mean you walk the same speed even if you know there's nothing in front of you to run into).

I'm no scientist either, but on a treadmill that momentum is already there, so from my experience, I'm not pushing myself as hard whereas outside, you're challenged by different terrain, weather, your own body weight, etc.

I read on a runners website that you should set your treadmill to 1.5 incline to get the same resistance as running on a flat level service. You might also be unkowingly be trying to run faster on the track than the treadmill.

I had the same issue when I started running back in June '09. I ran on a treadmill to get ready for a 5k, and when the day for the race came I had a tough time because of the difference between treadmill running and outdoor running. I talked to a few runners who advised me to put my incline at 1% or 1.5%. Since doing that, I've seen a marked improvement in how I run on the track. My endurance is much better now. It's all about resistance--there's more resistance running outside than when on a treadmill.