Moving between the treadmill and outdoor running

I have been running almost exclusively treadmill for about 13 years. I also did a number of road races.  I found some tricks to be very useful to let me move between the treadmill and the road.

Learn your body while on the treadmill

First, pay attention to how fast your legs are moving on the treadmill. Vary the speed, notice how the legs change. Increase the incline, same pace, notice how you have to work harder even though your legs have the same cadence. Get a heart rate monitor and you can also compare sensations with specific numbers on the HRM. Treadmills definitely have their place, but they require more conscious effort to learn.

Do outside runs before the race

If you want to run races, you might want to do at least one or two outdoors runs shortly before the race. This gives you a chance to adapt what you've learned before you actually need it. If you can, best to use the actual race course.

Watch out for uneven pavement! The treadmill will let you get away with not paying attention to the surface. Actual roads and sidewalks are less forgiving. Cars, bicycles, and dogs even less so.

Also, going outside means dressing for the weather. Remember that running produces a lot of your own heat. Dressing appropriately can be tricky.  For me, assume the body will warm by about 20 degrees fahrenheit.

Incorporate what you learned back on the treadmill

After a period of road racing, when you go back to the treadmill, adjust your incline until you roughly match your course speed. That gives you a feel for how to translate back and forth. Especially useful if you will redo the same course in a future race or year.

projector VISSPL V16, "Mini Projector, VISSPL Full HD 1080P Video Projector, Portable Outdoor Projector with Tripod, Kids Gift, Home Theater Movie Phone Projector Compatible with Android/iOS/Windows/TV Stick/HDMI/USB"

 I've found that some of my reviews mysteriously disappear.  So let's post to my own blog.

Device: projector VISSPL V16, "Mini Projector, VISSPL Full HD 1080P Video Projector, Portable Outdoor Projector with Tripod, Kids Gift, Home Theater Movie Phone Projector Compatible with Android/iOS/Windows/TV Stick/HDMI/USB"
URL: https://www.amazon.com/Projector-VISSPL-Portable-Outdoor-Compatible/dp/B0CD2BS3QX
Brand: VISSPL
Model: V16
price: $50 as of 2025-03-22
rating: 3/5

comes with:
 * remote (needs 2x AAA batteries)
 * mini tripod with ball head
 * HDMI cable (1meter+ length)
 * AV cable (3.5mm TRRS male to 3x RCA male)
 * power adapter (model MD48C-22002i8-U, input 100-240V 50-60Hz 1.5A, output 22.0V 2.18A 48W
 * built-in speaker(s) (not tested)

Inputs:
* HDMI, RCA ("AV"), USB

For the price, this is a surprisingly good value.  It works at a basic level.  I bought it for displaying static content from my phone.  Also tried some video content, which mostly worked.  Details below.

While the product comes with a remote, all functionality I tested seems accessible using the buttons on the top as well.  That's great -- if I ever lose the remote, the product is still usable!  Kudos.

The product was easy to set up and get working.  Kudos.

The keystone and focus both work OK individually, but not very well in combination.  If I tried to display at an angle, the keystone could square the picture, but the focus would then be off at either the top of the picture or the bottom.  If I angled the projector so it displayed straight ahead, without the need for keystone, focus then worked.  This limits the usability of the projector.  Deducting points from the review.

Not very bright.  You will want the room to be as dark as possible, or you won't be able to see any dark colors in the picture.  Deducting points.

It does not come with cables to connect a phone.  But the product description doesn't say it would, and that would not be reasonable to expect, because there are a number of different connectors and cable requirements for different phones.  No points deducted.

Pro tip: if you want to connect a phone, tablet, laptop, or other device to this projector, first connect your device to a TV using an existing HDMI cable.  That lets you validate that you have the correct adapters and cables before you even buy the projector, let alone troubleshoot it.

The included remote requires 2x AAA batteries.  They are not included.  I think that's a little cheesy, but OK.  No points deducted.

No bluetooth or wireless functionality.  But the product description doesn't say there would be.  Why do some reviewers complain about this?  No points deducted.

I tried displaying Paramount+ content from my phone.  It did not work.  But the product description says that.  Netflix worked fine.  No points deducted.

Did not test audio input.  Did not test speakers.  Did not test AV input.  Did not test USB input.