Hi ladies! (And gents!)

As the title says, I am wondering why it is so much harder for me to run outside compared to on the treadmill. I know that I do a comparable pace (by timing my runs) but when I run outside I can only run for about 3-5 minutes before I have to stop and walk! On the treadmill I can go for half an hour. My runs aren't especially hilly or anything.. what's up with this? Is this normal?

It is very normal. Outside you have wind, small hills that you don't notice, people to move around, uneven ground (even on sidewalks). A treadmill is just completely flat (even when on an angle, the surface area is completely level)

That makes sense, Candeka. It's like the treadmill does the hard work for you or something.

Huh. I never figured. I've never used a treadmill it sounds scary to me, I just run outside all the time.

I always find it to be more mentally challenging too. On a treadmill I have to make the conscience decision to move my arm and press a button to slow down - outside I just do it, a lot of times without thinking. I run a lot slower outside and i feel it more the next day.

Its very different and IMO cannot be compared. I can run an entire mile on the treadmill without stopping out side is a different story lol. The treadmill also moves and that helps with making it easier. Once I realized how different it was I try to do more jogging outside than on a treadmill. I also lose faster jogging outside vs treadmill.

On the treadmill you only move your legs and the ground moves for you. Outside you need to propel your entire body forward. On the treadmill the variables are also constant (temperature, terrain), but outside they are not. I run outside and find it to be a more intense workout and the best way to train for a race. I personally save the treadmill running for extreme weather conditions.

running outside is harder for me too...however it also aggravates my asthma seriously bad no matter how i try to manage it with meds...so i run entirely on a treadmill...i know i'm trading some of the difficulty in, but i also need to breathe lol

I read in a book once that running on a "flat" or 0 incline on the treadmill actually propels you a bit so you don't actually have to move yourself forward. The book said the fix for that is to make sure you always run on a 1-2 incline when running on a treadmill and to do any longer runs outside when possible.

Hope this helps. I've been trying to get into running for over two years and get discouraged so, so, so easily. After two summers of practice, I'm still slow and have a hard time breathing. It's very disappointing and disconcerting. I hope it goes better for you!

Totally normal. Hang in there and keep going. I remember it taking quite awhile for me to adjust. It doesn't matter how slow you are as long as you're not injuring yourself. You're doing this for you, so go at a pace that you enjoy and don't compare yourself to others. I say this as a slow runner myself.

A treadmill is completely flat, while outside even a terrain that appears flat has uneveness to it.