Grass V's Road

shels4ever

Hi all,

Well i've about 4 months running done now, only the last 2 of quality training. At the moment i'm doing 100% of my running on grass. I've only started to do runs longer then 6 miles,

On SAT i did an 8 mile on grass and found this really hard, The extra 2 miles seems ot have taken a lot more out of my leg then I expected, and could just about get around a 5 mile yesterday.

Should I stick to the grass runs or do some road running also or will i benifit more from the long runs on grass.

At the moment I do all running on grass long runs , short runs and speed work, only run on road for races.


Any advise would be welcome.

cheers.

cfitz

My advice would be: stay on the grass.

shels4ever

Thanks my main issue is that its been harder to increas the mileage as much as i wanted to on grass, but Id say the benifit of a hard 8 mile on grass would be the same as an 10 mile road run?

cfitz

shels4ever wrote: »

Thanks my main issue is that its been harder to increas the mileage as much as i wanted to on grass, but Id say the benifit of a hard 8 mile on grass would be the same as an 10 mile road run?

Is the grass very long where you run at the moment? Or is the surface slippery or uneven? Or are you carrying a niggle of some sort?

Otherwise I don't see how incresing your mileage would be more difficult. Everyone is different, but I think most people find the road far more punishing on the legs. It's nice and fast for a race maybe but not so nice on a regular basis.

All in all, I'd say the benefits of an 8 mile run on the road is pretty much the same as that of an 8 mile run on the grass.

shels4ever

Well i did have problems with my shins a few weeks back, there isnt any pain there anymore but maybe thats the cause also i find my lover calf stiff but usually ok after the warm up.

I also did start some circut training 2 weeks ago , with sets of squats etc maybe this is taking a bit more out of me then i first thought. ( usually 2 session a week).

The course i use if 4 mile, mostly level , but one field maynot be the best. But all in all its a good course.

Racing Flat

shels4ever wrote: »

its been harder to increas the mileage as much as i wanted to on grass, but Id say the benifit of a hard 8 mile on grass would be the same as an 10 mile road run?

As cfitz said, stay on the grass. I find my jogging pace on road is about 30secs per mile faster than on grass for the same effort, just because there's lots of bends and hills in the grassy fields. But because grass carries less of an injury risk, I stay on the grass. the important thing is it's the same effort. If you are gearing up for a particular race where you may need speed, then a switch to a faster surface like a track for the speed sessions may be appropriate. But you'd still warm up and down etc on grass, if possible and do your easy and long runs on grass.

As well as carrying less injury risk, if you stay on the grass, when you go to race on the road then it will feel so much easier. Count yourself lucky, I know a few fellows living in the middle of big cities who can never get to run on grass (try Tokyo...).

shels4ever

Thanks for the info, will stay on the grass for now, maybe put one of my circut sessions on hold for a while

token56

If you would like a comprimise I would recommend finding a long trail/track in a woods if possible. Not quiet as harsh as the road but if you find a decent route not as boring as running on grass.

islandexile

I do 90% of my training on grass. It can get very monotonous at times running around a field/ park but I'm happy in the knowledge that I'm minimising my chances of injury.

Scott Hall

I'd rather run on the road and get injured than run on grass and be miserable, Shin Splints are only temporary,

copacetic

Scott Hall wrote: »

I'd rather run on the road and get injured than run on grass and be miserable, Shin Splints are only temporary,

seems a funny statement to me, why is it miserable to run on grace? and why would anyone like to get injured?

shins splints are temporary for some and lead to stress fractures and surgery for others.

TheRoadRunner

copacetic wrote: »

seems a funny statement to me, why is it miserable to run on grace? and why would anyone like to get injured?

shins splints are temporary for some and lead to stress fractures and surgery for others.

yes it does seem a weird statement. stay on grass if possible.

Was running on roads for the last 2 weeks while away on holidays and I'm still aching. Had to take neurofen most days. My joints are feeling much better now I'm back on grass (not the stuff you smoke mind you )

shels4ever

Well i se ehis point about enjoying the running,

I've always run on grass even back in the day when i was running well(i'm sounding like an old man now).

Well ran today and didnt feel great but I think the reason i'm finding it a bi tharder the past few runs maybe because my spead has increased, I hadnt been running with my watch till today and even feeling crap i was about 2-3 mins faster then my nromal 5 mile run.

Anyway thanks for all the advise as usual , our help has manager to get me fitter...