TREADMILL RUNNING

You are not alone!...this phenomenon is encountered by most of us runners when in the gym. In fact I have used two different types of treadmill from the same manufacturer, the std machine equates roughly to a similar but slightly faster speed than on the road. The other which is a bigger treadmill with more belt length & width as well as greater speed, is a lot quicker than the readings suggest. How do I know? Fair question...well, the same way any runner of experience would know, it feels faster, my legs are striding out further to keep up and more critically i am breathing harder!
If you want to test this out scientifically, then put on a heart rate monitor next time you go running outside, measure your say 6 minute pace over say 2-5M, then go on the treadmill next visit to gym and set up machine to 16km/hour and run for same distance measuring your heart rate.
I would be confident that your heart rate on the treadmill will be higher!
As a coach I do not know why this is, only that you must run at a faster speed on a treadmill to get a similar training effect as on the road/track.
Hope that helps. :D

There is a lot of information based on the mechanics of the stride action of long distance running collected on treadmill, track and road but removing the technical aspect I find it virtually impossible to run to the same level on a treadmill because of the psychological aspect of training, I feel that on the road I am achieving more because I can picture the distance covered in the time taken and can relate this achievement into a physical embodiment. In the gym it is much more dificult to visualise these achievements because you haven't actually gone any where and all results are based on the computer statistics.

You may consider the thermal effects. Standing static (in one place) on a tread mill does not have the same cooling effect as running through the breeze. When core temperature rises the heart rate increases to counter the effect. Treadmill running could be considered a cardio work-out, since your heart is working harder to counteract the temperature rise the effort seems harder because it is. :D

I think it is a result of shear boredom. Quite similar to setting in a store while your wife looks at 'stuff'.

I have seen similar effects when working on the treadmill myself and I have always attiributed it to the fact that when you are running on a treadmill you are not getting the forward thrust that you get from your foot leaving the ground on a road run. Since you have a belt underneath you that is moving you can't get that thrust. I look at it as you are running to try to catch up with the belt. You are better off runnng outdoors. If there's snow outside then move south! :D

Running on a treadmill is easier since you don't have the wind resistance when you are running on road. Your muscles have to adjust though to the differences of the treadmill vs road running. A person running road for years and then jumping on a treadmill and finding it harder is a no brainer. The opposite could be said also. A person running only on a treadmill and then jumping on the road would find that harder.

I haven't personally looked for research comparing percieved exertion during these two senarios. . .I do recall though when I was at Arizona State in their Exercise Science department some of the research out of the biomechanics department suggested running at .5% incline. It was suggested that at a zero percent grade the forces taken through the kinetic chain were similar to actually running down hill, and that a .5% incline was equivalent to a level surface. May be something to consider.

I am surprised that so many people report treadmill running to be more difficult. I've always found it the opposite, in fact I've completed numerous speed workouts on the treadmill that I could never do outside. EVen bumbing the treadmill to a 1% to 2% grade, I still can repeat six minute miles, but can't do that outdoors on the flat track. Why?

Well, it's been a month since my original post on treadmill running and also it's still winter out there, so I'm still doing intervals on the belt. I've read the replies and the only one that has me bemused is the author Brianbikes'. Truth be told, I've been running competitively for about 34 years now and believe that I have a very good feel for the roads in relation to the treadmill. Although my times aren't anywhere near where they used to be, I can still pull off sub-sixes and believe me, it still feels far more comfortable running them outside.

I've had the treadmill charts for a number of years now and use it as my guide (always set at least 1 degree grade so as to try to mimic outdoors). Always have a fan alongside for cooling effect. Agree that when my legs hit the road the pounding on them is more noticeable.

In closing, I'm going to just accept the "theory" that the perceived effort difference is the lack of push-off and instead the belt catching-up we all have to encounter when we tackle these godsend machines. Thanks to all!