What surfaces do you run on?

G-Money

My knee has been giving me a bit of jip recently and I'm convinced it's a combination of my weight and the fact that I was running a mixture of concrete and tarmac as well as grass.

Previously I'd mostly been running on grass with a few short (few metres) done on tarmac when I got to various parts of the park. However recently I've been doing just over 1.5 miles on concrete followed by another mile or so on grass.

There's a couple of small-ish parks near to where I live and they're ok for short distances of about 7k or less, but if you wanted to do bigger mileage than that, it would become very boring doing so many laps.

Just wondering what surfaces do other people mostly run on, especially for longer distances?

Also, is there really that much difference between running on tarmac v concrete? There are bike lanes where I live and I quite often see people running in those, but mostly they tend to stick to the footpaths which are all concrete mostly.

Woddle

I do all of my running on concrete/tarmac without any injury problems. I do prefer tarmac I can feel the difference straight away when a surface changes from concrete to tarmac, just feels a little easier or sth. Could be in my head also
I do think if you're carrying extra weight you should do 80-100% of running on grass.

dev123

If you took a block of concrete and a block of tarmac and hit both with a hammer there would definitely be a difference in the feedback up the handle of the hammer. To me there is zero give with concrete. It would also depend on the foot strike. You would get away with a heel strike on grass for longer compared to heel striking on concrete

biker41

if you are having knee problems you should run on grass as often as you can,tarmac is better than concrete but your best option is grass, your knees will thank you.

RoyMcC

Without doubt there's a greater incidence of lower limb problems if you run entirely on hard surfaces. That said I have always carried excess weight and do most of my running on concrete, tarmac (or in Jersey the hardest of the lot, granite) without a problem.

I take regular beginner groups and always get a couple out of every ten complain of shin splints/knee problems - at night there is little choice but to run on hard surfaces. However my present group did their first 20-minute run at the weekend. We used the track and nearby football fields and they all noticed a significant and welcome difference.

If you want to race on roads though you just need to deal with that surface.

donothoponpop

Grass beats trail beats tarmac beats concrete. I'm carrying excess weight too, and also having knee issues. Losing weight beats everything.

RoyMcC wrote: »

Without doubt there's a greater incidence of lower limb problems if you run entirely on hard surfaces. That said I have always carried excess weight and do most of my running on concrete, tarmac (or in Jersey the hardest of the lot, granite) without a problem.

Granite! Nightmare! I come down the granite steps on the WW at Prince Willie's, cursing and fecking each jarring footfall

TFBubendorfer

I do virtually all of my running on the road. I had quite a few niggles when I started out (shin, achilles, hip, ITB), but after a year my legs were strong enough to withstand the pounding.

I don't carry excess weight, though. I'm sure it makes a difference.

Brianderunner

Well for LSR's it has to be road really. I do all my recovery runs on grass, sessions on a track and easy runs on a mixture of grass and footpath. I change my shoes every 300 miles which helps no doubt.

earlyevening

Or sand beats everything. I try and run about 10 miles per week on beach.

Also, perhaps your runners are knackered. I sometimes feel a niggle in my knee which seems to go once I get the new runners out.

G-Money

I've bought new runners recently and I alternate between two sets. I'm going to stick to the grass full-time from now on. I'm working on losing weight too which should do nothing but help.

I try to keep a close eye on my runners and when I feel the inside support going, I start to think about replacing them. I over-pronate so I need good support on the inside sole.

Good to know what others do.

I'm trying to do most of my running in the mornings before work so hopefully the light won't be too much of an issue!

Bambaata

Concrete and tarmac the whole way for me. I feel i run better and am less likely to have sloppy form as the grass could potentially soften the impact leading to poorer form, thats my logic anyway :P

foxyboxer

Concrete with a pair of Five Fingers.

After the first month of soreness, it's not a problem anymore to run on concrete.

G-Money

foxyboxer wrote: »

Concrete with a pair of Five Fingers.

After the first month of soreness, it's not a problem anymore to run on concrete.

Ouch!

Slightly off topic but how do you find running on rough surfaces with sharp stones and broken glass etc?

foxyboxer

G-Money wrote: »

Ouch!

Slightly off topic but how do you find running on rough surfaces with sharp stones and broken glass etc?

It's fine but you tend to develop a slightly drooping head to watch out 10 yards in front of you for stones and sharp edges. When you hit one plum on the sole it does hurt.

TFBubendorfer

earlyevening wrote: »

Or sand beats everything. I try and run about 10 miles per week on beach.

I was warned against that. Apparently it is very hard on your Achilles.

earlyevening

I could see a problem on really soft sand where the foot would be able to move in all sorts of planes and potentially cause ankle injury.

I run on close to the water where the sand is packed hard. Seems safer.

shels4ever

90% of my runs would be on grass, have been doing a little more on the roads then usual the past few week and do feel it alot more, but that been said i've a few kg that needs to go that adds to the problems.

eyescreamcone

I run 100% of the time on a treadmill.
I ramp it up to 1.0 to equalise it to outdoor running. Is this correct?

No stones
No kerbs
No traffic lights

Pace is easily controlled and with a hrm belt on I can see easily how hard I'm working

Best part is that I can watch the telly for the hour
No knee problems!!!

madon

I try do longer runs on the beach but its harder with the dark evenings. I try to mix it up a bit between grass road and beach.
I have a sore knee on and off at the minute too I find that once I am running with my right knee (sore knee) on the higher slant of the road I don't feel it as much but it means I need to run on the road on the opposite side to what you are supposed to run.

Pisco Sour

Another surface that a lot of people here like to run on is Ice, usually once a year between the months of December and February

Ruu_Old

Road 90% of the time. I tried the treadmill a few weeks, couldn't stand it for more than 10 minutes and went mental even with telly on or whatever. Never again!

GKiraly

Most of my running is done premdominantly on grass and trail, keep road running to no more than 30%-40% of my weeks running, and as for concrete, id rather have my knees sledgehammered to smithereens, kinda like the state my knees would end up in after long enough on concrete anyhow id imagine!

Highway_To_Hell

eyescreamcone wrote: »

I run 100% of the time on a treadmill.
I ramp it up to 1.0 to equalise it to outdoor running. Is this correct?

No stones
No kerbs
No traffic lights

Pace is easily controlled and with a hrm belt on I can see easily how hard I'm working

Best part is that I can watch the telly for the hour
No knee problems!!!

But you are missing all this. I cant run for more then 15 mins on a treadmill, I would prefer to be outside in any weather conditions then on a treadmill.

All my running is on the road/path, for a while a few years ago I started to add running to the end of Dun Laoghaire pier and back to my route but after a few weeks I gave it up as I felt the surface was very hard, I have tried running on grass but find the uneveness of the surface caused me more problems then running on the road.

Cabaal

99.9% of my running is on tarmac, grass I suppose is a option as there is a few local football pitches around but no parks sadly.

Just got a pair of a vibrams so going to ever so slowly start off with them on grass and keep on grass for the foreseeable future

snailsong

I do a lot of running on the local geeenway, the disused railway line from Westport to Achill which has been recently redeveloped for walkers, runners and cyclists. The surface is well compacted gravel, limestone i think. In a few places you have to cross tarnac drives and you really notice a big difference on the knees.

I also run on the road so I don't get too soft. As Madon said the camber makes a difference. I tend to change position on the road so my ankles aren't leaning to one side for too long. Don't know the science of it but I seem to avoid injury so far, touch wood.

BeepBeep67

Variety works for me in a 14 day cycle, I'll run on grass, trail, hills, treadmill and road.

opus

Mostly tarmac for me with the enivitable concreate footpaths when I'm starting & finishing. I do manage most of my recovery runs on grass through as there's a handy park close by where I work.

One of my favourite longer run manages to take in some paths along by a river (the Regional Park in Ballincollig for anyone who knows it).

Tom Joad

Long runs are usually on tarmac but these days all the rest are on concrete footpaths. Caused me a lot of issues injury wise when i started first but body has got used to it now and not really an issue - plus physio advised me to stop playing indoor soccer when I had IBT issues so stick the astro now - never realised how bad indoor soccer was for the joints.