| Just Beachy |
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| by Diet Detective Editorial Staff | |
| Tuesday, 04 July 2006 | |
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Running on the beach isn’t the worst thing you can do to yourself, but
it’s hardly ideal. Here’s what you should know before putting shoe to
sand. An empty beach stretches before you, the sand goes between your toes as you jog along. The sun rises over the ocean next to you. A trail of prints left by your bare feet in the soft sand stretches back as far as you can see. It sounds like running at its blissful best, but consider the flip side: twisted ankles, sore knees and shins, maybe even a nasty cut in just about the worst place imaginable, the bottom of your foot.
The beach may seem like the perfect place for a run, but two things about beaches tend to spoil the party. First, most beaches slope downward toward the water. Running along this slope presents the same hazard as running alongside a cambered road: It makes your footing uneven, plus the ground is closer to one leg than the other, effectively making that leg shorter. Second, the sand tends to be too soft for you to be able to run normally. You might think running on soft sand strengthens your legs, but any kind of running does that. Running on sand just makes injury more likely.
Sometimes, however, the beach may be your only option-like when you're traveling or on vacation. A few beaches have flat, firm surfaces, but they tend to be the exception rather than the rule. If you happen to find one, consider yourself lucky. If not, and you're a new runner, it's better to take a few days off than risk getting hurt, says Mindy Solkin, owner of The Running Center in New York City. If your body's used to pounding the pavement (you've been running regularly for at least six months), you can probably handle a short, easy beach run without much trouble. Just remember Solkin's advice:
Stay on the firmest ground, which is usually near the water. "Don't run on soft sand, even in shoes," Solkin says.
Run an out-and-back course to balance the stresses of the cambered surface on your body.
Unless you like taking chances with unseen pieces of broken glass and seashells, don't run barefoot. The risk of a cut or a twisted ankle far outweighs any possible strength gain. Beach or no beach, "unless you're a Kenyan, don't run without shoes-ever," Solkin says. Bookmark:            Trackback(0)
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