The Trouble With Running On Asphalt
The body is designed as an all-terrain vehicle. In the case of running, most of us do the same thing to our bodies day after day, and expect to somehow get away with it! According to Andre Kaokane at Cross Country Running Shoes 101, we cannot run on asphalt for long without consequences. Most runners believe that the rigidity of asphalt is the biggest problem, but it may be that the lack of surface variety is equally bad or worse.
Same Old Running Surface
It’s a fact that most recreational runners do their running on roads and sidewalks. You can see them any morning on your way to work, running and jogging along the sidewalks in their quest for fitness. They hardly touch the dirt or the grass. Perhaps it’s just the easiest route, or an illusion of taking the path of least resistance.
But when your feet encounter exactly the same surface with each and every step, the body is subjected to the exact same forces with every footstrike. Not only does the hard surface aggravate the stress of impact, but it is repeated over and over in exactly the same way.
In addition, there is no chance for the body to encounter and adapt to a healthy variety of other kinds of stresses. So running constantly on a hrd surface, at best, leaves you strong in one narrow way, but weak in all the others.
Iliotibial Band Syndrome
One of the classic injuries of runners is a type of tendonitis called Iliotibial Band Syndrome (IBS). It is caused by a relative imbalance in the strength of the gluteus maximus and gluteus minimus, which are lateral stabilizers that control the side to side movement of the hips.
You don’t need them much on a flat surface, because it’s easy remain upright on a flat sidewalk, but with IBS the lateral stabilizers get relatively weak compared to other leg muscles, and a painful imbalance occurs. Sometimes you see people running sideways in an effort to prevent IBS, but it won’t really help unless they are willing to do at least half the run that way!
The Solution
Get off the Asphalt! Trail running and cross country running are both excellent alternatives to the monotony of road running every day. So lace up your cross country running shoes and head out the door for the nearest park or golf course. You legs will thank you!
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