As someone who always feels more motivated and productive when running outdoors compared to running on a treadmill, I have decided to compare the physics of these motions in analyzing the work they require from your body.
Figure 1 is an image of the forces that are applied to the body when running on the ground. The key thing to notice is the angle at which the force of the ground acts. As one is propelling themself forward when running on the ground, the force of the ground on the body is angled slightly in the direction of motion. Alternatively, when running on a treadmill–forces depicted in Figure 2–one does not need to propel themself forward, instead, the machine is moving the ground below you and you must stay in place. This means that the body is upright and not as much force is being applied to the muscles and joints of the body as it is not pushing itself forward in order to move and instead is relying on the machine for this movement. With the body leaning forward, muscles are being worked in both the x and y direction in opposition to the ground as opposed to only working muscles vertically to the ground. This difference in force, as well as lack of air resistance, account for why many people run faster on treadmills compared to the outdoors.
A study was done and published in the Journal of Sports Sciences which reported that running at a 1% incline can make up for the lack of air resistance indoors, but this does not make up for the difference in the muscles used when running on the ground compared to a treadmill and difference in work required for this motion.
Figure 1
Figure 2
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