Whether you’re jetting off on vacation or are fortunate enough to live near the coast, the beach can provide a stunning backdrop to your runs and can be a great place to build both your strength and stamina.
Check out these top tips to help you reap the benefits that running on the beach can bring:
Brave barefoot
As a runner your feet have to work incredibly hard to stabilise your landing, push off and absorb a huge impact, yet very few runners do strength work specifically for their feet. The additional resistance that sand provides is a great way to strengthen the intrinsic muscles of the foot that often get ignored. Taking off your trainers and running barefoot can be incredibly liberating, however, unless you’ve done much barefoot running before be sure to start with a short amount of time, perhaps at the end of a run. Watch out for sharp debris that might be hidden under the sand too.
Check the tide times!
For the best beach running it’s advisable to check the tide times before you lace up your trainers. Heading out for a run when the tide is out or at least receding will mean that you have access to the flattest part of the beach and the wetter, slightly firmer sand. If you run when the tide is in you’ll have less beach to choose from and in some places you may run the risk or having no beach at all!
Beware of the camber
It’s worth bearing in mind that beaches have a natural camber and running on uneven surfaces can place additional stress on your muscles, ligaments and tendons. To counteract this it may be best to do ‘out and back’ runs so that you are subjecting your body to even stresses or if possible wait until the tide is out so that you can run along the flattest part of the beach.
Wet sand is best
Whilst soft sand provides extra resistance and can be a great way to strengthen the stabilising muscles in your hips, knees, ankles and feet, if the sand is too deep you are at risk of developing injuries such as plantar fasciitis or an Achilles or calf strain. Try to stick to wet sand where possible.
Finish with a natural ice bath!
Why not make the most of your surroundings and finish your run with a paddle in the sea? A natural ice bath will help to reduce the inflammation caused by micro-trauma to your muscles and should leave your legs feeling refreshed.
