27-03-2012, 07:14 PM
Quote:Hey Dean - I'm curious what sort of speeds were you running at that you noticed this difference so as to add the 1%?
Anywhere between 11 and 15km/h depending on training.
Quote:My own personal anecdotal experience is this: When running at about 12kph on the treadmill at 1% incline, when i transitioned to outdoors I found it much easier. Where I found it difficult to maintain 12kph for longer than 20-25minutes on the 1% treadmill, i could do 50minutes at 12kph outdoors.
My experience is the same whether with an incline or not, I think the tediousness and boredom make the running harder on a treadmill. I would rather run outdoors, as I enjoy it more.
Quote:Also, my experience across numerous different treadmills on my travels is that occasionally you get one that is mis-calibrated...I've ran on a few where the incline doesn't work (it says it works, but doesn't move). hehe. Overall though i have found most comparable/consistent from workout to workout, which is probably ultimately more important.
Because I use my S3 stride sensor, I can compare treadmill calibration, and find that most of them are within 1% of each other. I do find the cheaper ones are not always as good.
Quote:I think the idea that the belt pulls your feet along and thus makes it easy is false though...If you don't push off the belt with the same force as if you were running at that speed, you will eventually fall off the end of the belt. The belt is moving one way at a certain speed - just like the ground. The only way for you to keep going forward at that speed is to exert the appropriate force against the belt to push yourself forward (or more correctly push yourself to a stationary position relative to the machine..hehe)
I think you have over analysed this. You only need to exert enough energy to keep up with the treadmill. You are not actually accelarting your body, as the body is not moving. Where as in the real world outside you need to propell and accelerate during each stride, there is a large difference in energy used. I bet you can run at a higher top speed on the treadmill than you can outdoors????
Quote:I wish there was an easy way to check a treadmill to see if its calibrated...
I cannot check for calibration, but for consistency with my stride sensor......
Regards.
Dean.