Thanks to loyal alum and throwing school record holder Peter VanAken for sending me a link to this very thought-provoking article from the New York Times about running surfaces and injuries. This article casts doubt on the seemingly hard-and-fast theory that softer surfaces = fewer running injuries.
Huh? Roads are better than trails?
For most, it’s a matter of preference.
The main thing to take out of this article: Risk increases on softer surfaces because of the unevenness of the terrain. Even terrain that is more smooth – like Pre’s Trail or on our campus, the grassy North Field – have potential pitfalls for those who normally do all their miles on pavement, because you are using different muscles on the softer surfaces.
As the article states, if you abruptly change your training terrain from all-hard to all-soft or vice versa, be careful. Such a change is akin to abruptly increasing your training volume. Do it with care.
My running pal Fast Tony summed it up when he said: “Variety is what matters. Vary the terrain, and you won’t get hurt.” Simple, and probably true. Tony runs probably 60-70 percent of the time on roads, but does get off-road at least once per week – especially for his long run. He is never injured, always fresh and ready to hammer me on any given morning.
What I love about this article is that it questions conventional wisdom and something that you would assume to be sacrosanct – that trails are better than roads.
Earlier this year, I read the book “Freakanomics” and the follow-up book “Super Freakanomics.” Neither is a sports nor running book. Despite this, both books are keepers because they are thought-provoking exercises in questioning conventional wisdom and looking at things from a different perspective.
I remember early in my coaching career, Phil Kelly and I would pore through his old and new copies of Running Research News and talk about the innovative ideas contained in those articles. There were some far-out concepts in there, but it was always interesting to expand your thought horizons.
Personally, I tend to follow a pretty conservative thought pattern when it comes to training and coaching. Remember (much to Flint's displeasure) we always do the same Ogden Mills workout to start the preseason, and we have for more than 20 years! But it’s always good to think outside the box every once in a while.
So. Does this mean we’re done with trails in the fall and we’ll be doing MidRise Hills every day? I don’t think so. But maybe, we’ll be extra careful when it comes to monitoring the safety of the terrain we once thought to be perfectly safe.
Josh sent me that article about a week ago. I've also read a few studies that show there is not a higher rate of injury running on concrete or asphalt than there is on soft surface. The studies indicate that people adapt their running style to fit the surface. I can see where the initial switch to uneven surface could cause some injuries for those whose legs, feet and ankles haven't developed the strength to handle the rolls, twists and bumps.
ReplyDeleteOnce you adapt to the surface you're running on it just becomes a matter of preference. Those of us who love trails prefer to be away from traffic and in a more natural setting.
If you're a person who runs a lot of trails, but also likes to run road races, it's probably good to do some running on the roads. I think Tony and Kevin D. keep a great mix in their running.