Turns out I'm faster outside than the treadmill! - Couch to 5K

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Turns out I'm faster outside than the treadmill!

VictoriaRuns profile image
VictoriaRunsGraduate
17 Replies

My second outside run today and it's not by much but I managed to download and set up an app this time so I discovered I'm about a minute per km faster and that was with hills and the odd patch of ice! Didn't really feel I pushed myself much either so will have to see how this goes.

Hope you all had lovely Christmases!

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VictoriaRuns profile image
VictoriaRuns
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17 Replies
Terimanning25 profile image
Terimanning25Graduate

Well done... I do treadmill runs once a week and find I am slower and my legs hurt more... so I can relate 👍

in reply toTerimanning25

Exactly the same for me, slower and knees sometimes hurt. I dislike the dreadmill and find it restricting in many ways. Mine is an emergency stopgap for ice and snow.

Terimanning25 profile image
Terimanning25Graduate in reply to

I use mine as a stopgap for lack of childcare because kids can go into the crèche... glad it's not just me though x

VictoriaRuns profile image
VictoriaRunsGraduate in reply toTerimanning25

I normally love the treadmill! But I'm off work and away from the gym so can run outside while it's still light for a change. In fact, my last km was notably quicker becayse I was racing sundown 😂

Lordi profile image
LordiGraduate

Well done! Me too! I did my first outside run today and I ran faster than I've ever run before! I think it must be due to sensory over-load (avoiding dogs, walkers, other runners, cyclists, puddles, mud, swans, geese n ducks) i.e. too busy thinking about the route and scenery to focus too much on the grind/pain.

AlMorr profile image
AlMorrAmbassadorGraduate in reply toLordi

Love that reply to you 'Lordy' especially the bit about avoiding swans and geese, on your course did you also avoid

12 drummers drumming

11 pipers piping and so on, yes the 12 days of Chrismas, I just hope that 2018 is an excellent year for everyone training for a 5k

AlMorr profile image
AlMorrAmbassadorGraduate in reply toAlMorr

oops, sorry, I spelt Christmas wrong

MikeJones68 profile image
MikeJones68Graduate

I found the same. I’ve run mostly outdoors, and when I drove my route it measured 3.1 miles. I’d been covering that in the 28 minute runs, so I reckon that’s about 10k per hour. When I ran on the treadmill I really struggled to keep up 10kph. Maybe it’s easier with varied speeds....

Oldfloss profile image
OldflossAdministratorGraduate

I run twice as fast on my cross trainer as I do outside. I think outside I spend too much time looking around :)

SaskAlliecat profile image
SaskAlliecatGraduate in reply toOldfloss

I find I'm much quicker on my cross trainer but much slower on my treadmill. I wish every run could just be outside, I'd be a much happier runner. Maybe by next week, our cold snap will break!

MikeJones68 profile image
MikeJones68Graduate in reply toOldfloss

That’s why I go in the dark 🤣

Oldfloss profile image
OldflossAdministratorGraduate in reply toMikeJones68

:) I like looking round so speed does not matter anyway :) I can move faster if need be :)

SaskAlliecat profile image
SaskAlliecatGraduate

I have found the treadmill so much harder than running outside and when I put on my pace I run outside on the treadmill I am sucking wind big time. I've read in many different articles that running on the treadmill is supposed to be easier so to set the incline at 1% to counteract this but honestly, I have stopped this. I find running on the treadmill so demoralizing because I find it so much harder but recently have had no choice but to use it, given our extreme windchill. I've come up with some strategies to help me through it and try not to focus too much on the speed - easier said than done when trying to run a specific distance and gauging how long it might take. I highly suspect my treadmill isn't calibrated properly anymore (it saw many, many miles when owned by my brother-in-law who was an Ironman athlete), or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it 😉. Nice to hear others are quicker outside, so maybe there is something to my story other than wishful thinking 🤣

VictoriaRuns profile image
VictoriaRunsGraduate in reply toSaskAlliecat

I normally run on 2.5% on the treadmill so maybe that has somethimg to do with it? But everyone's different. If you are getting puffed out, you must be doing some speed so maybe you're right and it's the calibration 😊

in reply toVictoriaRuns

is that speed or incline. if speed, have i being going too fast at 3.5-4km? i don't get out of breath on the treadmill because there are no steep bits, and could always have run further, though i do get fiercesomely hot, even in our not too warm conservatory. I'm guessing 4 is slow?

VictoriaRuns profile image
VictoriaRunsGraduate in reply to

Incline at 2.5%, I warm up at 6.5kmph and run at 8kmph, but as everyone is different and has different strides etc, I wouldn't put too much faith in these numbers to converting anything like they do in the 'real world'. But yes getting too warm is a real problem and I intentionally stake out the treadmills right under the AC for this purpose!

in reply toVictoriaRuns

I can't set mine much faster because it is too short and wide, just a little foldup one for weather emergencies. I think I run too fast for the belt. If i set the belt faster i find I'm running off the end or over the sides. Possibly why I run a lot faster outside LOL.

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