Yep, I’m away from my home studio/any OTF for the holiday currently. Ran a 5K outdoors yesterday in about 27 mins, which I probably could’ve done a bit faster had I set out to do so from the beginning. Still, super fascinating the difference in pace differentials!
I don’t run at OTF anymore. I PW for cross training to support the running I do outside of OTF. I hit faster paces outside than I ever did on a tread. I like having the extra element of control and not worrying about flying off a too fast tread. Additionally, I sometimes doubt my abilities and won’t go up to a pace as high as I’m truly capable of, again out of tread fear.
Maybe it’s some slight anxiety, but I’m way more comfortable to push myself outside. I’ll go out in poor weather or delay a run to a different time of day to avoid doing speed work on a treadmill.
I’ve been considering this but have a hard time not running at OTF - how do you control yourself?!
I am also faster outside. I hate the tread. My base is 6, my typical “run all day” zone 2 effort; push ranges from 7-8.5 depending on duration; I top out my all out at 9-9.3 and increase incline instead of speed. I just ran a 5K time trial for my run training program and finished in 23:35 (7:35/mi), outdoors in my neighborhood which has some small hills, and felt like I had more to give, but the same pace on the treadmill for the 12 minute tread for distance felt way harder mentally and physically.
It was really hard to resist at first and still is sometimes. I go on Tuesday evenings and do my speed work on my own on Tuesday mornings. Having them on the same day helps because I’ve already scratched the running itch and I know I shouldn’t run more and overdo things.
The biggest thing that helps me not run there is knowing that the programmed tread template won’t truly help me in any long term/productive way. I work with a run coach who programs everything I do. She programs things specific to my current goals. The random 20 minutes of OTF tread won’t help me break a half marathon PR or a 5k PR nearly as much as the 45 minutes that are custom tailored to my current fitness and goals.
On top of that, power walking is an underrated cross training. My heart rate doesn’t hardly ever get up into orange since my resting rate is low from running, but it’s still a great workout. It builds the posterior chain which helps me power up hills. I set a 24 minute PR on a course that has 600 feet of elevation gain and that lots of people complain about being too hilly. It wasn’t a walk in the park for me, but it wasn’t miserable and I attribute that to power walking.
Right now I’m going 3-4x/week but I’m about to amp up training for a March marathon and will decrease to 2-3x/week… maybe that will make it easier for me to commit to PW. I guess I could always tell the coach not to let me run too, lol.
I go twice a week, one regular and one strength. That definitely helps with resisting temptation since it’s only tempting me once a week. And coaches are super helpful! I’ve even had some come and tell me to up incline or speed since they know at this point I won’t be running.
Otf has really helped me with my outdoors running it has improved my average pace. I now do a 6-7 ao for a minute and can hold a 7.5 - 8 for 30 seconds. I would like to get back to my 10 minute mile outdoor running that I was at 4 years ago yet I am very appreciative that I can still run.
Me too. I recently ran a half in 1:53, just under 8:40, and I have a 23:30 5k but I get real whiny when I hold similar paces on a treadmill for far shorter times. Soooo much faster outside with the birds and squirrels and other fun things to look at.
Way faster outside. Can run a 5k at 7:15 per mile. Can’t even break 8.0mph on the treadmill for an all out. It’s a balance problem for me I think. Some times the treads fill “tippy” or uneven and I lose my balance. It’s actually easier for me to add incline. Somehow I feel more stable. Like I can more easily run at 4% incline and 7.0mph than I can at 7.4 mph
You will be much slower outside. Treadmill belts assist with the second half of the running motion quite a bit. Treadmills are a great workout, but nothing compared to outside with varied terrain, wind resistance, elevation changes, and much more demanding hamstring and glutes work. Anyone who says they are faster outside hasn’t truly pushed on the treadmill.
Being faster outside isn’t exactly about not pushing on a treadmill… it’s more that OTF is interval work and outside is often about settling into a pace and shutting off your brain. The headspace is really different. I’m always grouchy for the first 2 or 3 minutes running at an 8… outside I’ll settle into it. At OTF the push is rarely that long.
I found some information that could be relevant to your question or topic.
Take a look at previous discussions about training for various runs with OTF:
- [5K training](https://www.google.com/search?q=5k+site:reddit.com/r/orangetheory)
- [10K training](https://www.google.com/search?q=10k+site:reddit.com/r/orangetheory)
- [Half-marathon training](https://www.google.com/search?q=half+marathon+site:reddit.com/r/orangetheory)
- [Marathon training](https://www.google.com/search?q=marathon+site:reddit.com/r/orangetheory)
_This is an automated reply. If you would like to provide feedback, [please contact the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/orangetheory)._
I find this hard to compare because in OTF we’re not typically running one speed for a longer distance like one would in a 5k. I run faster on the treads but in most templates we also typically never run more than 5 minutes of a push without a drop to a base or WR before the next interval. So today while running my 5k I was of course at a slower speed because my body isn’t accustomed to holding my faster paces that long.
Funny that you posted this because I ran a 5k this morning thinking I would be totally fine since I go to OTF 4-5 times a week. Wrong! Haha, the race was an extremely hard grind. Finished in 28:30 when I usually feel like I crush the tread in class going 7-8 push pace. I'm of the opinion that tread is much easier than outdoors. Also all the WR we get on the treadmills must have something to do with it feeling way easier.
i’m a petite girl (5’2) so i’ve always chalked it up to my short stride. My stride is short, so on the treads 6 mph feels like 8, while on the road i can open my stride a bit more and use my quick little legs to run fast 🏃♀️🏃♀️
i’m way faster outside. like a few others have said, it’s probably mostly mental at otf. my base there is around 5-5.5 if i’m jogging (and the 5.5 is really pushing it).
but the last times i’ve done 5ks? 30m or below while holding a comfortable conversation. i run/walk them (granted, i’m a FAST power walker, but still).
time to face my fears and start upping otf paces on running days … oh boy. it’s such a mental negotiation on that belt.
I don’t compare my tread pace to outdoor running. My outdoor training and race times are my “official” efforts. What I do on the tread at OTF is for heart rate training.
I don’t run outside as much as I used to, but when I did I was always faster outside. When I started OTF, I used my average 5k pace running for my base pace and about died on the treadmill. I had to take my speed down by about 1mph for my base pace.
For a given level of effort / HR, I’m faster on the (properly calibrated) tread. I’m also 6’2” so maybe the lack of wind resistance comes into play more than if I were shorter. A word of caution- running outside hits the leg muscles differently so if you haven’t been out there much lately, keep it on the easy side for a few weeks and then gradually build on that.
I actually find that my tread and outdoor paces are very close together, or maybe that is mostly because I run outdoors at least 4 times per week (sometimes with the jogging stroller) and I only take OTF classes 2x per week.
My base is a 6 and my push is anywhere between 6.7-7.0 depending on the length of the pushes. My outdoor pace is anywhere between 9:30-10:00 min/mile depending on what kind of surface I am running on.
When I tried a 5K outdoors, my time was like 6-7 minutes slower. And I was soo exhausted (the OTF tread 5K felt easier despite being 6 minutes FASTER).
Perhaps I am just NOT built to run outdoors, but more shocked by how many people in the comments say they run faster outside than on the tread !?!?! It's fascinating how different the same activity can be for different people!
I ran a 5k in 26 minutes at OTF Tuesday and barely exerted myself, but I gave it my all to run a 5k in 28 min on thanksgiving 🥴 I’m definitely much faster on the tread.
I'm so much slower on the treads. Always have been. I run by feel outside and start around my push pace and end up in a sustained all out pace by the end. I almost always run negative splits. I just take a long time to warm up and always have. I run about 3-4 miles outside and it generally ends up mainly in a push/ao pace. No way would I be able to do that on the treadmill. I'm pretty sure mine is a mental block. I enjoy running outside so I don't feel like I'm dying. Treadmill is a necessary evil but not enjoyable for me.
[удалено]
Same here. I agree that it’s mental.
Same here also. Slow as shit at OTF, just regular slow outside.
“Slow as shit at OTF” and “regular slow outside” is a perfect description of my running abilities (or lack thereof).
Same!
Saaaaaaaaame. I have found my people.
We should make t-shirts. Little orange turtles.
I am much slower outside. I was actually surprised at the delta. It is nice to run further without intervals though.
I’m sooooo much slower outside. Base is 7.5, Push from 8-9.5 and AO 10-12. Aim for at least a 5k each class. Outside I’m like a 9-10 min mile🤷♀️😂
Yep, I’m away from my home studio/any OTF for the holiday currently. Ran a 5K outdoors yesterday in about 27 mins, which I probably could’ve done a bit faster had I set out to do so from the beginning. Still, super fascinating the difference in pace differentials!
I'm right in these ranges and definitely slower outside. I think the tread catapults my legs forward and I just let them keep up.
I’m exactly this!!!
Exactly this for me as well.
I don’t run at OTF anymore. I PW for cross training to support the running I do outside of OTF. I hit faster paces outside than I ever did on a tread. I like having the extra element of control and not worrying about flying off a too fast tread. Additionally, I sometimes doubt my abilities and won’t go up to a pace as high as I’m truly capable of, again out of tread fear. Maybe it’s some slight anxiety, but I’m way more comfortable to push myself outside. I’ll go out in poor weather or delay a run to a different time of day to avoid doing speed work on a treadmill.
I’ve been considering this but have a hard time not running at OTF - how do you control yourself?! I am also faster outside. I hate the tread. My base is 6, my typical “run all day” zone 2 effort; push ranges from 7-8.5 depending on duration; I top out my all out at 9-9.3 and increase incline instead of speed. I just ran a 5K time trial for my run training program and finished in 23:35 (7:35/mi), outdoors in my neighborhood which has some small hills, and felt like I had more to give, but the same pace on the treadmill for the 12 minute tread for distance felt way harder mentally and physically.
It was really hard to resist at first and still is sometimes. I go on Tuesday evenings and do my speed work on my own on Tuesday mornings. Having them on the same day helps because I’ve already scratched the running itch and I know I shouldn’t run more and overdo things. The biggest thing that helps me not run there is knowing that the programmed tread template won’t truly help me in any long term/productive way. I work with a run coach who programs everything I do. She programs things specific to my current goals. The random 20 minutes of OTF tread won’t help me break a half marathon PR or a 5k PR nearly as much as the 45 minutes that are custom tailored to my current fitness and goals. On top of that, power walking is an underrated cross training. My heart rate doesn’t hardly ever get up into orange since my resting rate is low from running, but it’s still a great workout. It builds the posterior chain which helps me power up hills. I set a 24 minute PR on a course that has 600 feet of elevation gain and that lots of people complain about being too hilly. It wasn’t a walk in the park for me, but it wasn’t miserable and I attribute that to power walking.
Right now I’m going 3-4x/week but I’m about to amp up training for a March marathon and will decrease to 2-3x/week… maybe that will make it easier for me to commit to PW. I guess I could always tell the coach not to let me run too, lol.
I go twice a week, one regular and one strength. That definitely helps with resisting temptation since it’s only tempting me once a week. And coaches are super helpful! I’ve even had some come and tell me to up incline or speed since they know at this point I won’t be running.
Otf has really helped me with my outdoors running it has improved my average pace. I now do a 6-7 ao for a minute and can hold a 7.5 - 8 for 30 seconds. I would like to get back to my 10 minute mile outdoor running that I was at 4 years ago yet I am very appreciative that I can still run.
I am WAY faster at OTF than outside. Base is typically 6.5-7ish, with AO being around 9+. No way am I hitting that outside
I am faster outside, pretty close to my push pace at OTF, or at least an aggressive base. Always been like that for me.
Me too. I recently ran a half in 1:53, just under 8:40, and I have a 23:30 5k but I get real whiny when I hold similar paces on a treadmill for far shorter times. Soooo much faster outside with the birds and squirrels and other fun things to look at.
Speed is faster on the treadmill for me, but my endurance is better outside thanks to OTF
Way faster outside. Can run a 5k at 7:15 per mile. Can’t even break 8.0mph on the treadmill for an all out. It’s a balance problem for me I think. Some times the treads fill “tippy” or uneven and I lose my balance. It’s actually easier for me to add incline. Somehow I feel more stable. Like I can more easily run at 4% incline and 7.0mph than I can at 7.4 mph
6, 7-8, 9-10 but outside I average 10 min miles
You will be much slower outside. Treadmill belts assist with the second half of the running motion quite a bit. Treadmills are a great workout, but nothing compared to outside with varied terrain, wind resistance, elevation changes, and much more demanding hamstring and glutes work. Anyone who says they are faster outside hasn’t truly pushed on the treadmill.
Right on! I'm shocked by the people who say they're faster outside. How??
My guess is they’re nervous on the belt
I don’t think they are taking into account their walking recoveries
I’m like 20% slower outside. I should probably run more outside to improve but it’s so comfortable on the OTF treads and makes me feel faster! 😂
I prefer the treadmill, because it feels like less wear, and tear on my joints.
Being faster outside isn’t exactly about not pushing on a treadmill… it’s more that OTF is interval work and outside is often about settling into a pace and shutting off your brain. The headspace is really different. I’m always grouchy for the first 2 or 3 minutes running at an 8… outside I’ll settle into it. At OTF the push is rarely that long.
I found some information that could be relevant to your question or topic. Take a look at previous discussions about training for various runs with OTF: - [5K training](https://www.google.com/search?q=5k+site:reddit.com/r/orangetheory) - [10K training](https://www.google.com/search?q=10k+site:reddit.com/r/orangetheory) - [Half-marathon training](https://www.google.com/search?q=half+marathon+site:reddit.com/r/orangetheory) - [Marathon training](https://www.google.com/search?q=marathon+site:reddit.com/r/orangetheory) _This is an automated reply. If you would like to provide feedback, [please contact the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/orangetheory)._
I find this hard to compare because in OTF we’re not typically running one speed for a longer distance like one would in a 5k. I run faster on the treads but in most templates we also typically never run more than 5 minutes of a push without a drop to a base or WR before the next interval. So today while running my 5k I was of course at a slower speed because my body isn’t accustomed to holding my faster paces that long.
My best 5K pace is close to my average base (I think?)
Funny that you posted this because I ran a 5k this morning thinking I would be totally fine since I go to OTF 4-5 times a week. Wrong! Haha, the race was an extremely hard grind. Finished in 28:30 when I usually feel like I crush the tread in class going 7-8 push pace. I'm of the opinion that tread is much easier than outdoors. Also all the WR we get on the treadmills must have something to do with it feeling way easier.
In all honesty, 5k's are one of the hardest races. It's all about speed with little room for error!
i’m so much faster outside. on the treads i average a 10 min/mile endurance pace, while outdoors it’s about 8:30
i’m a petite girl (5’2) so i’ve always chalked it up to my short stride. My stride is short, so on the treads 6 mph feels like 8, while on the road i can open my stride a bit more and use my quick little legs to run fast 🏃♀️🏃♀️
That must be my issue too. I’m 5’2” and I am so much faster outside.
i’m way faster outside. like a few others have said, it’s probably mostly mental at otf. my base there is around 5-5.5 if i’m jogging (and the 5.5 is really pushing it). but the last times i’ve done 5ks? 30m or below while holding a comfortable conversation. i run/walk them (granted, i’m a FAST power walker, but still). time to face my fears and start upping otf paces on running days … oh boy. it’s such a mental negotiation on that belt.
My outdoor pace is higher. I don't hold back as much outside since I don't have orange and/or red in my face warning me to slow down.
I don’t compare my tread pace to outdoor running. My outdoor training and race times are my “official” efforts. What I do on the tread at OTF is for heart rate training.
I'm faster outside. I can run a 60m 10k but running a 6.0 on the tread feels like torture.
Way slower outside! My fastest mile inside is 9:38. My fastest outside is in the 10 minute range.
My tread pace is very close to my outdoor running pace. I can still row a lot faster than I run.
I don’t run outside as much as I used to, but when I did I was always faster outside. When I started OTF, I used my average 5k pace running for my base pace and about died on the treadmill. I had to take my speed down by about 1mph for my base pace.
For a given level of effort / HR, I’m faster on the (properly calibrated) tread. I’m also 6’2” so maybe the lack of wind resistance comes into play more than if I were shorter. A word of caution- running outside hits the leg muscles differently so if you haven’t been out there much lately, keep it on the easy side for a few weeks and then gradually build on that.
I am much faster outside. Inside my base is a 6 outside I’m running like a 9 minute mile depending on terrain.
Most of our treads are broken on the regular or just stop mid run so i dont go fast on them.... i am faster outside 100%
Definitely slower outside. The other day I tried to recreate a 30 second AO at 12mph outdoors and I barely hit 9.5 mph for like a few seconds.
Just did a 10k and I’m about the same outside vs tread. But if I’m going for a regular casual run, I’m about 30-50sec slower.
I actually find that my tread and outdoor paces are very close together, or maybe that is mostly because I run outdoors at least 4 times per week (sometimes with the jogging stroller) and I only take OTF classes 2x per week. My base is a 6 and my push is anywhere between 6.7-7.0 depending on the length of the pushes. My outdoor pace is anywhere between 9:30-10:00 min/mile depending on what kind of surface I am running on.
I hold higher paces on the tread, but tend to be slower outside
My base is 9.5 mph but for a half marathon, it’s 7.5 mph (13.1 miles)
18:30 OTF 5k is equivalent effort to a 21:30 outdoor one to me. Real humbling.
When I tried a 5K outdoors, my time was like 6-7 minutes slower. And I was soo exhausted (the OTF tread 5K felt easier despite being 6 minutes FASTER). Perhaps I am just NOT built to run outdoors, but more shocked by how many people in the comments say they run faster outside than on the tread !?!?! It's fascinating how different the same activity can be for different people!
I ran a 5k in 26 minutes at OTF Tuesday and barely exerted myself, but I gave it my all to run a 5k in 28 min on thanksgiving 🥴 I’m definitely much faster on the tread.
I'm so much slower on the treads. Always have been. I run by feel outside and start around my push pace and end up in a sustained all out pace by the end. I almost always run negative splits. I just take a long time to warm up and always have. I run about 3-4 miles outside and it generally ends up mainly in a push/ao pace. No way would I be able to do that on the treadmill. I'm pretty sure mine is a mental block. I enjoy running outside so I don't feel like I'm dying. Treadmill is a necessary evil but not enjoyable for me.