Do running surfaces really matter?

By your logic you are no more likely to be injured running than standing still.

I'm oversimplifying a little but nowhere did I say that the ground absorbed a force. The correct way to think about this is that when forces are applied materials deform to an extent inversely proportional to their Young's modulus. This leads to the general result that more of the deformation takes place in the softer material. Generally the more deformation, the more damage so to avoid damaging your bones, you'd like most of the deformation to happen in the ground and in your shoes. So far so good?

Ok, about your previous post. The net force applied to the ground is determined only by your weight and cadence and ground contact time and is pretty uninteresting. You are right about that. However, that's the net force doesn't tell the whole story. There is a sharp initial spike when the foot first hits the ground coming from the kinetic energy of the foot slapping down and braking. This energy is going to be dissipated (absorbed) somewhere. Hopefully your shoe will take the brunt of it but it's nice having a soft, deformable ground to absorb the rest.

Hardloper wrote:

ytrhyhfbgh wrote:

Anything except concrete. Even asphalt is far more preferable.

Citation needed

Get real, it's just an opinion, not a thesis.

Someone asked the coach of El G how much road running he does. The response he doesn't do any! His coach couldn't believe it when he was in America running in parks on the path not the grass.

A hard surface could lead to greater bone density however only in sports like cycling is there actually a reduction from average . A runner is always going to have more bone density than the normal person.

Even sports like cricket gave higher bone density. That's played on grass but dynamic movements also increase bone density. Was a piece on this last night on tv health programme

For the regular runner even is you try and avoid roads its hard to manage completely. You are going to do some road running either when its dark or on the way to a park

Stopme99 wrote:

She explained that almost all grass surfaces are uneven in some way and lead to over usage or compensation.

Absolutely not. The uneven surface is less repetitive than a road, minimizing the risk of overuse injuries. On a road, it's sloped outwards, so you are always running on the same uneven surface, leading to an overuse injury from the same repetitive stress. Uneven surfaces such as trails strengthen stabilizer muscles to minimize risk of injury. Roads are the worst thing for you, period.

There's a reason the Kenyans train on dirt roads, not asphalt

Hilarious, you obviously did not read my other post. You are still confusing pressure with force.

epicTCK wrote:

Stopme99 wrote:

She explained that almost all grass surfaces are uneven in some way and lead to over usage or compensation.

Absolutely not. The uneven surface is less repetitive than a road, minimizing the risk of overuse injuries. On a road, it's sloped outwards, so you are always running on the same uneven surface, leading to an overuse injury from the same repetitive stress. Uneven surfaces such as trails strengthen stabilizer muscles to minimize risk of injury. Roads are the worst thing for you, period.

There's a reason the Kenyans train on dirt roads, not asphalt

Agree

ukathleticscoach wrote:

epicTCK wrote:

Absolutely not. The uneven surface is less repetitive than a road, minimizing the risk of overuse injuries. On a road, it's sloped outwards, so you are always running on the same uneven surface, leading to an overuse injury from the same repetitive stress. Uneven surfaces such as trails strengthen stabilizer muscles to minimize risk of injury. Roads are the worst thing for you, period.

There's a reason the Kenyans train on dirt roads, not asphalt

Agree

Running on a dirt road is not remotely the same as running on a lumpy uneven grass field. Softer does not equal less even.

The Kenyans also train on dirt roads because there doesn't really appear to be much asphalt where they train.

Welllll.... wrote:

It depends on your injury or whatever kind of injury you may be prone to.

I think we overthink the surface we run on though. Your body will likely adjust just fine to running on the roads.

Ideally a flat (meaning even surface) dirt road is the best to train on.

Idiot.

epicTCK wrote:

Stopme99 wrote:

She explained that almost all grass surfaces are uneven in some way and lead to over usage or compensation.

Absolutely not. The uneven surface is less repetitive than a road, minimizing the risk of overuse injuries. On a road, it's sloped outwards, so you are always running on the same uneven surface, leading to an overuse injury from the same repetitive stress. Uneven surfaces such as trails strengthen stabilizer muscles to minimize risk of injury. Roads are the worst thing for you, period.

There's a reason the Kenyans train on dirt roads, not asphalt

Yes. To prevent from being ran over. Jeez. It’s no more simple than that.

I got into trail racing the past few yrs. I’ve had wayyy more injuries than I ever had as a road racer. This whole soft surfaces is easier on you is bunk. Rocks and roots impose more risks than a smooth, albeit repetitive and predictable surface.

I did 13 on concrete last night. It sucked. My feet get sore from too much concrete, not as much from asphalt, which is indeed softer, and I compensate by getting on the grass shoulder wherever available and even, as well as by adding a second pair of socks, which (along with new shoes) reduces my heel pain markedly.

Barefoot running on grass just a little bit always helps me with injuries. Running on sand a mile or so in bare feet occasionally has really helped with calf injuries.

They used to say that there was no audible difference between cd's and records (that is, what sounds the cd did not capture in its digital form). Then years later, another experiment showed that audiophiles could hear a difference.