I much prefer outdoor to indoor running; while the lack of air resistance indoors allows a faster pace, the lack of the associated cooling effect hinders my endurance. [Disclaimer: I perform poorly in hot conditions, defined as anything above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.]
--Daniel Price
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From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu on behalf of Brian Blais
Sent: Fri 09-May-08 6:31 AM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: [Phys-l] treadmill vs open road
Hello,
I just started running for exercise, and was chatting with some long-
time runners about it, and they had some interesting comments about
treadmills. Most of them felt that running on a treadmill was very
different than normal running, and noted that they felt that they
could run faster on a treadmill. There was one who said it was
basically the same amount of exercise, but felt that he ran slower on
a treadmill. Assuming that we have a completely flat road and a flat
treadmill, I can think of no difference in the physics between the
two systems which would give rise to the different experiences. My
first thoughts were that the difference in experience comes from the
slight irregularities in the open road, which cause balance muscles
to work, ones that wouldn't be needed on a treadmill, but none-the-
less contribute to the workout.
Any thoughts or additional physics that you think comes into play here?