Going With The Flow

Good run this morning - way to get it done early!

So Andrea, because you've been on the mill this week, what do you think about how it compares to outside fitness? Can you tell it's not as hard, or that you aren't using as much oxygen or energy? Just curious what you think.

i smell feijoada...

Lily - My opinion is this - if you most often run on the treadmill then the treadmill will feel easier than running on the road. But if you most often run outside then the treadmill feels harder. I think that the mechanics are different enough to have an effect. Everyone has a different opinion, though! My thought is that if you want to be fast on the road, train on the roads as much as possible (but safety is #1 priority!).

Allie - Yes we are having that and coxinha!

I have always found the treadmill to be harder than the road. I feel the mechanics are different as well.

Well I happen to have the same opinion. I ran on the mill Mon-Tues and I was kinda shocked because it suddenly seemed harder. I've been outside for over 2 weeks prior. So I was confused. I still prefer outside any day. Oh well, running on the mill is better than no run!

Great miles Andrea! And I most definitely agree with your opinion on the treadmill. I do way too much training on the treadmill and it is very much a "security blanket" for me. It always takes me a few miles to transition to running outside.

Have fun tonight!

From a metabolic perspective - if you hold every other variable constant - you are using less energy to run at the same speed on a treadmill. Jack Daniels has done numerous studies showing this difference and to my knowledge, there have never been any studies refuting his work. Most of this is due to the fact that your hamstrings aren't being used as much on the treadmill (although hip flexor activity increases)... hamstrings are huge muscles though, so decreasing their activity even a little bit makes a big difference in terms of energy used.

In real life, though, every other variable isn't always held constant. So like Rob pointed out with his (very good) list a few weeks ago, there are some definite benefits to using a treadmill.

There I go slipping back into my previous life as a biomechanist. :-) Every once in a while...

at the exact same pace and incline treadmills should be slightly easier (belt pulls your foot). But nothing is stopping you from speeding up the treadmill. :) it's just my preference but I don't like running exclusively on any one surface so the treadmill is a decent alternative, especially when it's cold outside.

well yeah as soon as you increase the incline, the game completely changes! :-) then energy output equals out once its at 1-1.5%

I think the real question is - if there was a treadmill big and fast enough to put an airplane on, and you got the airplane up to takeoff speed, would it actually lift off the ground?

Oh my gosh Jake you are funny. I find trying to do workouts on treadmills to be very hard because it is just so boring and the stop button is so bright and red. Anyway. Andrea, I am enjoying reading about your adventures!