Get Off Your Asphalt

Are you stuck in a running rut? Experience the physical and mental benefits of switching up surfaces.

Written by: Mario Fraioli

We runners, by our very nature, are creatures of habit. Anything and everything related to our running – from the shoes we wear, to the food we eat and when we eat it, to the races we run year in and year out – is regulated by routine. Think about it. When was the last time you missed your annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot? Probably the last time you switched shoe brands or failed to spread a tablespoon of peanut butter on half of a bagel some 35 minutes before jumping on the third treadmill from the far window at the gym.

The bottom line is that for runners, routine rules. And where we run is no exception. Whether you’re a runner who prefers to pound the pavement, tear up the trails or trot on the treadmill, chances are you’re tied to your terrain like a dog on a leash. You’re scared to stray too far from your usual stomping grounds and play in some new puddles, so to speak. Well, it’s time to break up the boredom, put an end to the mind-numbing monotony and start treading over some new terrain. It’s not only good for your mind, but beneficial to your body and paramount to improving your performance.

“Changing running surfaces works different leg muscles which, will lead to physical benefits,” says Eric Blake, head cross country and track and field coach at Central Connecticut State University. “And different scenery in your running will lead to mental benefits.”

For the road warriors out there, I encourage you to get off the asphalt. Retreat from the roads and seek softer surfaces to run on – some of the time, anyway. Your feet, shins, knees and hips will thank you!

While the roads are always readily available for running, they’re not the best thing for your body. If possible, find a softer surface to run on at least once a week, be it a trail in the woods, grass field at your local high school or path through the park. Aside from steering clear of troublesome traffic, the off-road impact is significantly easier on your body. Let’s explore a phenomenon I like to call it the golf ball effect.

If you throw a golf ball at your driveway, what will it do? That’s right; it takes off into the atmosphere. Now throw that same golf ball at your front lawn with the same velocity. Where did it go? Yep, it’s still there on the ground, where the grass has absorbed most of the impact. Now imagine that golf ball is your body and the above process gets repeated a couple thousand times over the course of a 5-mile run. Which surface is treating your body better?

If you guessed the grass, or some other similarly soft surface, you guessed right. Not only will you keep those everyday aches and pains to a minimum, but you’ll recover quicker, strengthen your ankles and develop your lower leg muscles more rapidly.

FILED UNDER: Injury Prevention / Training TAGS: Injury Prevention / off-road running / Road Running / Running Surfaces / Trail Running / treadmill running / treadmills

Mario Fraioli

Mario Fraioli is the senior producer at Competitor.com. He was a cross country All-American at Stonehill College, has run 2:28 in the marathon, and coaches the Prado Women's Racing Team in San Diego.

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