Running Surfaces

[john]

As you mentioned you are wise to stick to the grass and trails as much as possible when the weather permits. Unfortunately come winter these options become severely limited and often not an option. As for outdoor running I try my best to stick to the asphalt as it is more forgiving than concrete. I try to find roads that have that permanent white line designating the area for bikers as cars will tend to at least stay clear of this space.

You are right though we make ourselves more susceptible to injury from extended periods of on hard surfaces. I seem to recall a table in a running magazine that put concrete as the hardest, probably sand as the softest, with the treadmill roughly in the middle. Therefore the treadmill could give you some relief although since it sounds like you're already at the point where you can't run I would suggest using the elliptical machine. I was introduced to it by my coach this year and I'm completely sold on its benefits. Once you get the hang of it you'll be able to get your heart rate up to the desired level while avoiding the impact on your feet and legs. In fact the elliptical is best utilized for keeping potentially serious injuries at bay. If you're noticing a few more aches and pains than usual it is ideal to intersperse one or two elliptical workouts a week along with your regular running.

[cda]

I try to keep most of my runs on cottage cheese.

[ahutch]

The problem with paved surfaces may have more to do with the fact that they're perfectly uniform (so every stride produces exactly the same stresses) compared with the variations you get in softer surfaces. Conventional wisdom is that asphalt is better than concrete, but I've never managed to find any studies that back that up. Treadmills are definitely softer, so they can be a good option if your knees are giving you problems. Longer term, maybe consider doing some leg strengthening to improve your shock-absorption.

An article I wrote about running surfaces in the Globe last fall:
www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/will-running-on-concrete-increase-my-risk-of-injury/article1342046/

[oldbones]

From what I am reading ... I ask the question ... should you even be running? (are you?)

Running (as you described) should not cause pain regardless of surface ...

Stay away from running or any movement associated with the pain (try a few days). Ice, wrap, elevate, ibur, ... see a doc/physio ...

[gwig]

Dec 26, 2009 20:36:12 GMT -5 oldbones said:

From what I am reading ... I ask the question ... should you even be running? (are you?)

Running (as you described) should not cause pain regardless of surface ...

Stay away from running or any movement associated with the pain (try a few days). Ice, wrap, elevate, ibur, ... see a doc/physio ...

Definitley agree with that, take a few weeks and see how you feel after that, you can keep your cardio up either biking or swimming, but do not make your injury become even larger. You don't want to permanently damage your knees.

[yards]

How old are your shoes? Regular replacement of shoes very important. Don't go by how they look, cause they will likely look great but in fact be worn out and not offering you the needed protection.
Visit a reputable running store that specializes in running and hires people who know how to fit you.

[F.T]

depending on where you live id say nordic skiing is your best option. Almost no impact on your legs along with a cardio level almost as benificial as running

[tree]

Dec 27, 2009 20:40:47 GMT -5 F.T said:

depending on where you live id say nordic skiing is your best option. Almost no impact on your legs along with a cardio level almost as benificial as running

I'd almost go as far as to say that it would be more beneficial to include a few ski sessions in a week during the winter than not. It almost guarantees you will get through the winter months without stress injuries, it challenges your body aerobically and muscularly in ways running does not, and -- why else do we do endurance sports? -- it's fun.

[limestonemiler]

Elliptical trainers are a great alternative to nordic skiing. Similar kinetics but more readily accessible.

[spottiswoodcanrun]

So u were saying you were experiencing calf pain... Maybe you have shin splints, this is due to running on hard surfaces . As for Nordic skiing this works you calfs as well as knees so maybe not the best choice. I would reccomend swimming and especially deep water running , this will rehab your calfs as well as knees and a great way to stay in shape , work your cardio, as well as it cannot hurt you to try it.... I do this in the winter as well as running indoor and outdoor also on tredmills .

[jdome]

I used to experience lots of calf pain (but different from shin splints, I've had those too...), but in my case I feel that it was more a result of trying to do too much speed work at the expense of doing long runs. Interestingly enough, I've always found that running on what would generally be considered more "injury friendly" surfaces like trail and grass made my calves hurt more, whereas running on asphalt felt better. Even after this injury went away, I've always felt tightness and soreness in my calves after hitting up the trails. I realize this seems counter-intuitive, but I do think it has something to do with the difference in energy transfer (ie. because the trail absorbs more impact, I compensate by pushing harder into it?).

Either that or I'm crazy.

Another thing - this water running stuff... after years as a competitive swimmer, I tried it. Not too jazzed on it. It felt like one of those bad dreams you have where you're slow, bad and unco-ordinated at running, except it's real. If you're an experienced swimmer, I think it's likely that you'd get a better workout just swimming normally.