I run on lots of different treadmills. I have a Vision Fitness at home where I run at a slower pace than outdoors and I run on a variety of other treadmills at hotels, most of which I run faster on. I think it depends on the type of treadmill and the calibration. Therefore, I don’t worry about pace anymore when I’m on the thing. I just go by RPE.
Almost all good TM’s do 12 mph now.
Ones I like:
Pacemaster Gold (I own, cost less than 2k)
Landice (I owned for 6-7 years)
True (have used)
Look at the reviews on the Runner’s World site.
I’ll second Landice. We’ve had one for about 5 years and it gets at least 1 hour a day. A control module went out this week and we had it replaced ($100 labor) along with the top control panel…which it turns out just had a loose connector. That is several hundred dollars in parts. They also said we needed a new belt and deck that they will replace next week…several hundred more in parts…all free under lifetime warranty. I grilled the repairs person quite a bit and she said that the Landice were very high quality even compared to Lifefitness or Precor and they rarely see any problems with them. It’s just a good feeling that almost anything can go wrong with it and the most you would have to pay is about $100 in labor to swap out the parts. I think they may even be warranting labor these days on new ones.
I’ve had cheaper treadmills and they have not stood up to my 200 lb frame running 8mph or better. Blown fuses, tons of squeaks and rattles, etc. They also have cheap cushioning designs which are really there to protect the treadmill more than your joints. Buy quality and you will not regret it.
Its more than just wind drag, treadmills are much easier than ‘actual’ running. The simplified explanation is that when you run properly your legs have to push your whole body forward whereas a treadmill simply pulls your legs backwards. The treadmill does all the acceleration too when you change speed.
Wrong, as has been pointed out ad nauseum. On the ground, running at 10mph moves you forward at that rate. On a treadmill with a belt going at 10mph, if you did no work you would go backwards at 10mph. You must run at 10mph (relative to the belt) to maintain position (and your skin). Your body doesn’t know if it is running 10mph relative to a belt or to the Earth.
Simple physics.
Its more than just wind drag, treadmills are much easier than ‘actual’ running. The simplified explanation is that when you run properly your legs have to push your whole body forward whereas a treadmill simply pulls your legs backwards. The treadmill does all the acceleration too when you change speed.
You’re correct that there is no work to accelerate on a treadmill, whereas there is on the road, but discussions on ST in the past seem to suggest that you’re otherwise doing the same amount of work, aside from the wind drag.
Also, did anyone look at the treadmill speed chart posted above by mileader: http://www.hillrunner.com/training/tmillchart.php . As we all know, aerodynamic drag is not linear with speed, it goes up by some form of a cube law. However the chart shows that at 0% inclination the percentage speed gained by not having wind is the same at 5 mph and 12 mph. Does this seem incorrect?. Wouldn’t one expect that the percentage difference between treadmill speed and “effective road speed” would be smaller at lower speeds due to the none-linearity of the aerodynamic effects?
Perhaps the effects are pretty small at such pedestrian (pun intended) speeds?
Perhaps the effects are pretty small at such pedestrian (pun intended) speeds?
But the effect is shown in the table as 13 sec/ml at 5 min/ml pace, and assuming we’re not attributing that difference to anything else (like this stuff about your leg getting dragged back for you) then it’s not small. The effects of wind drag are very significant at higher running speeds, hence many of the tactics that we see in the 800m+ races.
I figure that it has something to do with the footplant (when you hit the deck of a treadmill or the ground while running your foot will be there for a period of time … the length of time depends on how fast you are running) and the surface would be moving underneath you when this happens compared the ground which you just push off of. At least that is what I figured 
It could have been any combination of the treads on my shoes, speed of the deck or composition of the deck surface material but it messed up my ankle so I am wary of treadmills. In university I did a VO2 max run on a really high powered treadmill that was capable of pretty fast speeds and had no problems at all so maybe I’m way off base or crazy but I try to avoid them now no matter how much snow I have to run through. Just run a fartlek outside and put in the effort on the snowy roads. You might not be running as fast but you’ll still get a good workout.
… also if this is the Peter R Johnnyo is alluding to, I thought you were retired so why do you need to run at 5 min./mile
During my high school days…I guess around 9 years ago, my dad went to Sears and bought the “high powered” 2.5 HP/10 MPH Weslo model for something around $600. We then contacted the Weslo engineering department and one of their guys sent us schematics for removing a capacitor that would allow the machine to go up to 12mph. After a month of speedwork, that was no longer enough and we called the guy up again. He burned us a special EEPROM chip calibrated to a different flywheel and photosensor. Took about 45 minutes to install the kit he built us, and then we had a 15 mph machine. Probably wouldn’t work all that well for heavier folks, but at the time I was under 100lbs and my brother was only slightly over, so that wasn’t a major concern. That treadmill is still running, but my kid sister doesn’t get it going much over 8mph. Looking back, I don’t think I used the machine nearly as much as I should. A few more mile intervals at 4:00 pace on the TM might have helped me get there in real life.
Chris
When I purchased a treadmill awhile back I was stuck between the Landice and the Pacemaster Gold Elite. I liked the feel of both. In the end, I bought the Pacemaster for $1800 which was $1200 cheaper than the Landice. If I was doing it all over, I would go with the Landice and spend the extra money.
Another vote for Landice here. If you do not need the programming/heart rate feature, the basic model works great and is a lot cheaper price. I have had mine for 6 yrs. with absolutely no maintenance other than an occasional belt adjustment.
Dean Wilson
www.anaerobiczone.com
It doesn’t matter that the ground moves under your feet or that you move over the ground, it’s only the relative speed that matters. Yes treadmills can be out of calibration and yes the belt can slip slightly each revolution ( I watched a guy running on a smoking treadmill once) but for the most part the effort needed is the same. Those who say it’s easier to run on a treadmill may not be using any grade or may be holding onto the rails. Most people who depend on treadmill running in the winter to keep in shape know to start at 1% grade to simulate air resistance. Saying you don’t need a 12 mph treadmill is like saying you don’t need a bike trainer that goes over 300 watts - depends what you’re training for. Also, increasing the elevation is not the same as increasing the speed. The stride length and cadence will be different.
Makes sense but why do I find it harder to run on a treadmill and maintain pace then I do outside? I must be weird or something.
I can barely do 8:00 min/miles on the treadmill, but I am good for 6:30 min/miles outside.
Do you have an even gait? I am convince that I run crooked and on the road this not an issue, but on the treadmill it magnifies the problem.
The other possibility is I am not coordinate enough to use a treadmill.
Note: This is a problem with all treadmills – high quality and store brand.
I know that my gait is pretty messed up. I’ve just decided to base my TM runs on HR and don’t care much about pace anymore. I just get it to where I’m at my desired HR, and then play with the speed and incline to increase my effort. In then end, my hope is that I get back outside and my pace is milleniums faster than what it was before.
Landice Cardio
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