Running on sand, will it make me faster?

Mr Marri

After my recent PB http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056305532 . and in the hope of making more PB's i've started running on beach.
Now I know running on sand is harder but will it make me faster on the road or will I just get really good at running on sand?

RoyMcC

Great for strengthening up the legs. I wouldn't do it all the time though as I imagine you'd soon lose the quickness you can only develop on harder surfaces.

ecoli

Agree with other poster. Keep it in moderation once every 2-3 weeks i say would be of benefit

mloc123

Running on sand will make you better at running on sand. Not many races are on sand...

NinjaStudent

It worked for the guys in chariots of fire ;-)

ecoli

Its has its benefits regarding developing leg and ankle strength. Herb Elliot was a huge fan of this however I agree with the sentiment of training specific which is why you do need the majority of your running to be road based if you are looking for road PBs

tunney

Will it make you faster? Yes!!! *



(* if by faster you mean injured if you do it too much)

RubyK

I used to run on the beach 2-3 times a week.

My physio puts my injury down to running on the softer sand. Running on harder sand is ok, if you fancy a change of scenery, but it won't make you faster on the roads.

Speed sessions will make you faster.

shels4ever

I ran on sand for years injury free, lived right beside the beach and did 80% of my running on sand. You do need to mix up the type or runs you do on the beach and its all tide\wind depended.
Running at the right time you can have hard flat sand to run on, or very soft uneven sand. Found sand dune reps great for running also.

It all depend what your looking for, I think a good mix in all surfaces is a good idea, but if your racing on road run on road, racing on track......

kennyb3

It will tear the calves and achilles out of you.

ThePiedPiper

kennyb3 wrote: »

It will tear the calves and achilles out of you.

Agreed. One of the very few injuries I've gotten in 6 years of running came from doing a few days beach running on holidays. Achilles was at me for weeks after.

Krusty_Clown

Beware of:
1) The camber: Because beaches/sand tend to run-off to the sea, if running across the beach the camber will always impact your gait
2) Uneven surface/stones: if you're expecting sand and hit a stone/rock, with your leg incorrectly flexed, it can be a jarring experience (lost a few weeks training to a sore knee because of this one!).

Mr Marri

Thanks for the advice guys, will keep it to 1 day a week and do some more speed sessions.

BrokenMan

Stick to the harder sand when the tide is out, running on soft sand can put a lot of strain on the backs of your legs.

I would have my doubts about it making you faster though just might be nice for a change. 'Speedwork': intervals, hill repeats, tempos, etc. is the best thing to make you faster.

Carpenter

Will it make you faster yes it will if the sand is in Spain or somewhere like that ruddy hot :D:D

ecoli

BrokenMan wrote: »

Stick to the harder sand when the tide is out, running on soft sand can put a lot of strain on the backs of your legs.

I would have my doubts about it making you faster though just might be nice for a change. 'Speedwork': intervals, hill repeats, tempos, etc. is the best thing to make you faster.

Percy Cerutty would argue this

At the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, HERB ELLIOTT won the 1500 metres race by the largest margin that had been recorded in
Olympic history. Elliott's coach was the eccentric, irascible PERCY CERUTTY, and over the six years that Cerutty trained Elliott,
from 1956 to 1962, Elliott was the undefeated champion of both the 1500 metres and the mile running events. Postal worker turned
athletics guru, Cerutty revolutionised running training in Australia - most famously by making his athletes run up and down sand
dunes.

http://www.british-athletics.co.uk/uniboard/uni_board_herb_elliott.pdf

RoyMcC

Ecoli I doubt if Cerutty counted that as speedwork! It was almost certainly done as part of base training.

We've got some brilliant dunes here on the west coast that our athletes use once a week during the winter - with customary swim afterwards :eek:

ecoli

RoyMcC wrote: »

Ecoli I doubt if Cerutty counted that as speedwork! It was almost certainly done as part of base training.

These were most likely done during base alright but they would have been quality sessions to keep in touch with speed

Training on sand dunes consisted of hill sprints so these would be similar to the hill sessions many runners use early season on grass hills for form and lower leg strength
Also remember reading before Iwan Thomas (Euro 400m champion) used these in his build up phase so there is some merit to it however I would agree with the notion that you have to be very careful when carrying this out as sort of session as there are many risks involved with it

BeepBeep67

Coincidently I was sent the link below today, not directly related to running on sand but running on softer surfaces.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/health/nutrition/19best.html?_r=1&ref=science

Dr. Tanaka said he could not find any scientific evidence that a softer surface is beneficial to runners, nor could other experts he asked. In fact, it makes just as much sense to reason that runners are more likely to get injured on soft surfaces, which often are irregular, than on smooth, hard ones, he said.

ecoli

BeepBeep67 wrote: »

Coincidently I was sent the link below today, not directly related to running on sand but running on softer surfaces.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/health/nutrition/19best.html?_r=1&ref=science

Read that one myseolf on lets run. I think it proves one thing......... all the theory in the world without being applied doesnt prove anything.

There was a counter link to the proposed given to that article (3.30 into article attributes one of his athletes injury histories down to amount of running on hard surfaces)

http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/237340-adventures-in-europe-2010/video/352500-alberto-salazar-taking-on-athletes-needing-a-change

BeepBeep67

ecoli wrote: »

Read that one myseolf on lets run. I think it proves one thing......... all the theory in the world without being applied doesnt prove anything.

There was a counter link to the proposed given to that article (3.30 into article attributes one of his athletes injury histories down to amount of running on hard surfaces)

http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/237340-adventures-in-europe-2010/video/352500-alberto-salazar-taking-on-athletes-needing-a-change

Yep, I'd agree with that - personally I favour variety, surface, footware, speed and distance, all part of an overall plan / aim of course.