Grass v concrete advice

[Ejbirdy]

Morning lovely people

I've run on concrete the whole time so far but just wanted some advice on how different running on grass would be ? I'm W8R2 tomorrow.

Ta

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

It's actually surprisingly hard running on grass - depends how rough it is, but you do sometimes have to be careful about where you put your feet - especially if there may be rabbit holes! May need to slow things down a bit - on the plus side it does provide a softer landing for your joints.

[Maysie1 Graduate]

I have run on all sorts of road and farm tracks, but had never been on grass until yesterday when I crossed a sports field.

The grass was a bit long and very thick, so I nearly fell flat on my face as my soles were dragging through the grass, so I had to lift my feet more, but I soon got used to it - after which it was lovely and 'cushioned' feeling when compared to the solid surfaces. The length (and thickness) of the grass seems to make a big difference IMHO. It is a bit easier on the feet and legs.

Enjoy W8R2, that is what I did yesterday!

[paul2014 Graduate]

It can be a lot less stressful on the joints than concrete but can be more draining depending on the length of grass etc. Also be wary of uneven ground etc as it could catch you out.

[dottiemay Graduate]

Yes it is harder to run on grass but some of the upsides are that it slows you down, makes you work harder so helps with building stamina and as stated by the others, is easier on the joints. It also depends on whether the grass is long or short - long grass is a killer!!

I try to do a run around a playing field every couple of weeks just as a strengthening exercise and one thing I'm finding now is that my pace on grass is getting closer to my pace on tarmac. Compare that to the time I had to give up after 5 mins because it was just too hard!!

[mossy1 Graduate]

I have run round a small playing field once which I found okay but a bit slippy after rain. However just ran an event on grass for the first time on Saturday and found it much harder going than on the road/ paths. I did enjoy it though, weather was good so quite dry underfoot- you just need to watch your step as the others have said.

Good luck with your next run

[Ejbirdy Graduate]

Thank you for all the advice

[Hidden]

I posted something similar a few days ago, and was surprised how many people don't like running on grass. Personally I've found I prefer tarmac roads, grass is hard work, although I can see it's place as a training aid. The few times I've run on grass it's been wet, not much fun to have sopping wet feet.

[GoogleMe Graduate in reply to Hidden]

It's loads of fun to have sopping wet feet! I love a nice puddle to cool my feet down... or crunching through ice into a chilly puddle to invigorate me in the winter. I do worry a bit sometimes about depleting peat bogs with all I wash down the sink sometimes....

What *isn't* nice is starting a run with shoes still wet from the last outing, but that's not usually a problem if you are organised about putting them to dry and observing a day of non-running between (although I have two pairs, just to be on the safe side)

[Zev1963 Graduate in reply to Hidden]

I've not run on grass, but I certainly find gritty path better than hard concrete. I run along a path along the bank of a river, it's a mud path that is periodically surfaced with a mixture of grit and sand. The path is heavily used by walkers, runners and cyclists, so this grit gets quickly beaten down into the surface. I find this surface to be very good for running. Surprisingly, I even notice a difference between tarmac and concrete. After concrete, to me, tarmac seems significantly softer and bouncier

[Ejbirdy Graduate]

Coolio thanks for the tips