Being from USA I've never gotten to run on one of these:
Being from USA I've never gotten to run on one of these:
Provided the grass is dry ( running the bends at pace can be a bit tricky in wet conditions) and the surface relatively smooth it's the perfect training surface. Much easier on the legs than synthetic and likely to be in better condition than a well used cinder track.
Do no high schools in the US ever mark out a 400m oval on their playing fields?.
mark b wrote:
Provided the grass is dry ( running the bends at pace can be a bit tricky in wet conditions) and the surface relatively smooth it's the perfect training surface. Much easier on the legs than synthetic and likely to be in better condition than a well used cinder track.
Do no high schools in the US ever mark out a 400m oval on their playing fields?.
The absence of cricket means that none of our playing surfaces are big enough for a full track. The only exception would be places where there are multiple soccer fields side by side, but those are usually getting lots of use, plus there is usually a nearby synthetic track.
The only grass tracks you might see here are middle schools with a dirt track that hasn't been used a while, so grass starts to grow on it. They're really rutted and awful though usually.
U Asked For It wrote:
Being from USA I've never gotten to run on one of these:
http://www.runnerstribe.com/rts-workout-any-day-featuring-olympic-athlete-ben-st-lawrence-kevin-batt-oliver-hoare/
In the US this is known as Cross Country.
I feel like this would wear out relatively quickly....
it is pretty cool though.
"The absence of cricket" explains a lot, not just about the lack of grass tracks in the US but about the state of the nation in general!
If Donald Trump had been brought up playing cricket he might be vaguely sensible! (And Hilary could have made herself useful by making the tea!)
(All the above is a joke - sort of!)
nicest track I ever ran on was McGillivray in West Australia. It was the University home track, and was built over the years using carefful mowing and rolling and inset with sprinklings of cinder. It drained perfectly and was a fast sprint surface and a great distance track.
There is an art to making a great grass track. It starts witht he right soil, and extends the right seed and the use of cinders and time.
When the gardner retired I think the track did too.
Don't forget that Austrlai has an experienced group of groundsmen from cricket who can produce a very specific athletic surface. Either for running or playing cricket. For the US people the wicket used in cricket is totally different from the rest of the field.
mlcollll wrote:
nicest track I ever ran on was McGillivray in West Australia. It was the University home track, and was built over the years using carefful mowing and rolling and inset with sprinklings of cinder. It drained perfectly and was a fast sprint surface and a great distance track.
There is an art to making a great grass track. It starts witht he right soil, and extends the right seed and the use of cinders and time.
When the gardner retired I think the track did too.
Don't forget that Austrlai has an experienced group of groundsmen from cricket who can produce a very specific athletic surface. Either for running or playing cricket. For the US people the wicket used in cricket is totally different from the rest of the field.
Cricket groundskeepers are responsible for a lot of the lush grass tracks you find in the British empire.
World Record for mile on grass track...3:56 - John Harnett (Ireland/Villanova) mid 70's,
Would be cool, but your workout times would be slower.
might be wejo wrote:
Would be cool, but your workout times would be slower.
Not by too much. See above your post for reference. Also, why run your best splits in practice? Save it for race day and let your legs feel fresh instead of thrashed!
The most amazing grass track race ever, 1:44 and still the NZ record:
A grass track is great to train on if properly maintained, so it all comes down to how good and conscientious the groundsman is and if he/she regularly closes the inside lane for top dressing and recuperation. A lot of the grass tracks in Australia are like goat tracks.
These aren't that common in Aus and a lot of them are in poor condition. Ours dried up do to drought. Most don't have lighhts
And most don't have such a nice environment around them like in that video!
I'm envious of all the tracks high a cools and colleges have in the USA including indoor tracks. We have like one track here and none indoor (though our winter is milder). None are free
I've never seen a track on cricket grounds!
ukathleticscoach wrote:
I've never seen a track on cricket grounds!
Indeed. Cricket grounds get used for cricket in the summer! Most grass tracks in the UK are on/around football/rugby/lacrosse fields that wouldn't otherwise be used for much in the summer.
As an American who migrated to good old Canberra 20 years ago grass tracks is what I primarily trained on. Once doing a 4 mile fartlek session in 19:23 the benefits of training grass where significant. Less muscle damage and quicker recovery time. For those that don't know how fast a grass track can be Peter Snell ran 1:44.3 on grass in 1962. By the way no Australian has ever run that fast.
Rotegoat wrote:
The most amazing grass track race ever, 1:44 and still the NZ record:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7UtoLeBBDA
You haven't watched many races on grass tracks, have you?
dsmond wrote:
As an American who migrated to good old Canberra 20 years ago grass tracks is what I primarily trained on. Once doing a 4 mile fartlek session in 19:23 the benefits of training grass where significant. Less muscle damage and quicker recovery time. For those that don't know how fast a grass track can be Peter Snell ran 1:44.3 on grass in 1962. By the way no Australian has ever run that fast.
You taught me in high school
Small world
Do know of any that resulted in WR's which are still NR's 50 years later? I am prepared to be amazed.
xhmgmcn wrote:
Rotegoat wrote:The most amazing grass track race ever, 1:44 and still the NZ record:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7UtoLeBBDAYou haven't watched many races on grass tracks, have you?