Why is it that I run faster on my treadmill than I do when I run outside? I thought this was due to the flat and even surface of the treadmill track, but my treadmill has features which change the tension, speed and incline of the track. I run much slower at the local high school track than I do on my treadmill. Why is this? - Running in Circles
In order to fully understand why treadmill runners perform at higher velocities than those of road runners, we must consider the physical dynamics that the body encounters in both situations.
First, consider the treadmill device itself. Most modern treadmills offer a fully cushioned rotating platform, which absorbs both the weight and downward momentum of the runner, making each step all the more safe for increased pounding. The same motion performed on the asphalt covered planet imposes an ever increasingly stressful force on the runners feet, legs and lower body. The treadmill platform rewards the athlete with shock and force absorbing features which limit the onset of overuse injuries and negates the fear of increased mileage and speed. This insurance against injury gives an athlete increased confidence with which to push the envelope of speed.
The second and probably most important factor towards faster treadmill training has to do with fluid mechanics and the external forces of nature. I came upon this little nugget of fact when I was performing heart rate stress tests at a local gym a few years back. Working to determine my maximum heart rate, I spent an hour on a treadmill and monitored and recorded every physical aspect of my body I could think of.
I recorded my average heart rate per mile, mean heart rate per five minute poll, maximum heart rate, recovery heart rate, current frame of mind, average speed, peak speed interval duration, overall distance, level of hatred for the damn machine, percent level of incline, before and after body weight, oxygen exchange rate, list of favorite things I'd like to do to the treadmill with a sledge hammer, perceived level of exertion, sweat rate, rate of energy utilization, rate of adenosine triphosphate production, inclination to talk to myself while running on that evil contraption, heart rate inflection point, blood lactate levels, body temperature, and my VO2Max.
It was at the end of this arduous torture that I noted my running pace was well into the high six minute miles.
"Six minute miles?" I thought, "That's impossible!". The computer has to be wrong! (My fastest five miles was run in 37:11, a paltry 7:26 pace).
So, I checked my stopwatch, and did a little "guesstimation" based on my start and stop times and the numbers all came up the same. I had run an average 6:48 mile, for five miles!
How'd I do that? Science, Timmy: it's all about fluid mechanics.
We road runners run at the bottom of an ocean of air. On particularly windy days, we run along the bottom of a raging riverbed against the strong currents of atmosphere. We are spared the slowing effects of running within this oxygenated soup when we use a treadmill. Running stationary on our little bouncy platforms of doom, we are able to execute faster leg turn-over than might otherwise be possible submerged within an ocean of 79% nitrogen and 20% oxygen.
With this little factoid of info we can imagine how, running on the Moon, elite marathon runners might achieve 4-minute miles as an average pace. To test this theory, move your treadmill to the bottom of your nearest available swimming pool, and compare your speed with that of running the same "distance" under normal conditions.
It's just a guess, on my part, but I'm pretty sure you'll understand the decelerating effects of running against the currents of air on the open road, and you'll learn as I have that the treadmill is an evil contraption devised by a twisted dark mind.
Run long and taper.