I was supposed to run 25 minutes on Friday. Here is what happened:

As I got close to my 25-minute target, I realized that I was doing OK. Then I decided to do 2.25 miles or 28 minutes, whichever came first. 2.25 came and went, so I decided to go for 2.5 miles. I did it, and I did it in 29 minutes and 4 seconds.

This is where I get fuzzy. At that pace (2.5 in 29:04), I was going 5 miles an hour. However, I kept the treadmill at 5.4 for the first 20 minutes, dropped to 5.2 for three minutes and finished at 5.6. Not once was I at 5.0. What the heck? Did I run farther than the treadmill says? Faster?

Well, 2.5 miles in 29 minutes is much closer to 5.2 mph than it is 5 mph (it's about 5.17 mph), so you were pretty close to what you thought you were running for the most part.

But, as you figured out, those numbers aren't scientifically accurate. Depending on how old your treadmill is or how expensive it was, those numbers can be off a little. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Andy

Did you warm up at a slower pace, or did you just jump right in at 5.4?

Plus I agree with the previous poster...the difference between 5.4 and 5.2 isn't all that much - even between 5.4 and 5.0. (even though it 'feels' like it is.)