Today is the first day in at least a month — maybe more like two
months — that our morning walk had to happen on our treadmill.
Months ago when I started on the treadmill, I was walking at a pace
of about 1.7MPH. In contrast, I wasn't happy this morning until I
reached a pace of 2.9MPH — nearly twice the former speed.
I've become used to doing a circuit of 1.22 miles. This takes us
up and down inclines, from shade to sun, and from breeze to still to
breeze again. We walk this route in the mornings and walk at an
aggressive pace to get the majority of our activity out of the way
before the heat of the day.
The analog on a treadmill is... challenging. No inclines, no declines
— just flat. I didn't have the experience of pain in varying areas of
my lower legs (I didn't necessarily miss it, but I can confirm that pain
IS likely the product of variations in the walking surface). No sun,
no shade, no breeze. No companion, and no conversation — treadmill
walking is a solo effort.
Then there's all this right in my face for five laps:
Useful:
Seeing the relationship between calories burned and distance. (100
calories per mile, according to this display.)
The biggest disappointment though is my stats. My Apple Watch
measured my effort at 1.23 miles (nearly spot on with my normal outdoor
route). Here's the infoporn, comparing today's indoor walk with
yesterday's outdoor walk and an outdoor walk this afternoon:
| Activity Type | Active Calories | Total Calories | Distance | Total Time | Elevation Gain | Avg. Heart Rate | Avg. Pace |
|---|
| Indoor Walk | 122 CAL | 181 CAL | 1.23 mi | 0:26:15 | -- | 89 BPM | 21'12"/mi |
| Outdoor Walk | 112 CAL | 160 CAL | 1.21 mi | 0:21:02 | 37 FT | 106 BPM | 17'22"/mi |
| Outdoor Walk | 114 CAL | 162 CAL | 1.20 mi | 0:20:57 | 20 FT | 113 BPM | 17'23"/mi |
Particularly telling here is the average heart rate data. These rates translate
into
green ring data. This morning's indoor walk only credited me for 8 minutes of
exercise, as compared with my normal outdoor walk, from which I routinely get
credit for about 22 minutes of exercise, though the calorie burn, time and distance
is generally comparable. (I can't explain why the Elevation Gain varied so much —
it's the same route.)
I'm coming up very short so far today, and I think the big difference is in
the lack of inclines and declines, because I think they're the key factor in
having that good, higher heart rate that meets the activity standard. Notice that
the pace in the outdoor walks is much lower than this morning's indoor walk, and
still the heart rate and activity minutes were far higher in the outdoor walks.
Apart from daily progress, though, I'm pretty amazed at how different
use of the treadmill is now that I've been doing all of these outdoors workouts.
Treadmill use is WAY more boring now that it used to be — and I'm sure going
a LOT faster!!
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