The treadmill lies!

After warming up for eight to ten minutes, I do what any normal treadmill runner does.  I turn it up.  I crank up the speed to 8.0, push the elevation grade to 2%, and I see how long I can hold on for.  I'm pleased.  I'm able to hold on for awhile.  30 minutes to be exact.  The tempo portion of my run ends at 9.3 and 3.5%, respectively.  It leave my legs tight, my sides in a slight cramp, but feeling great because as a result of the impressive workout.  I cool-down for 15 minutes to loosen up, all the while celebrating that I must have knocked out at least 7.5 or 8 miles with that blistering pace, and that I've got an exciting blog entry to share.  I mean, running that fast for that long, I should have been able to easily knock out 7.5 miles, right?

Wrong.  After 55 minutes, it takes me 5 minutes longer, and close to twice the effort, to run the same distance of my regular easy run (6.3 miles).  Why is it so, treadmill?  Running on the treadmill is supposed to be easier than running outside because of the assistance it provides with your leg turnover (the movement of the treadmill assists your legs propel you forward after each step).  This, in turn, should be able to provide the runner with extra speed, and theoretically, enable him/ her to run farther distance than normal in the same amount of time.  However, this by no means seems to be the case.

I could spend the time researching and uncovering the mystery as to why the treadmill leaves me broken hearted (or why it is lying...).  Or, it can motivate me to train outside more, and only train on a treadmill when it is the last option.  The latter sounds like the more appealing and right thing to do.  So with that, I'll have to buck up with the heat and humidity of Dallas for my remaining training runs until Friday.  And regardless of how fast or slow I go, I won't be shocked with the distance I've ran once I'm finished.