Who stole the beach? It is gone. It has been replace by asphalt. Crazy!
We Moved away from a beach location And are now back in civilization for a week. I had to run twice on a road. Asphalt, bitumen, trucks, cars, people.... I most dislike it.
Conclusion : I think you guys need a medal to run in or near a town as it is much much harder.
You may think it is normal and easier to run on asphalt or bitumen instead of sand, but believe me it is not. Also packed sand is much gentle on your body and your mind.
I have also lost 1K. (Not weight but distance). I can only do 5K on Asphalt before I am pooped, instead of an easy 6K on the beach. Go figure!
Next week, a new beach. I can't wait.
Written by
nhs2015
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I've only tried sand one and found it really difficult, but there was a wind in my face, so maybe that was holding me back. How lovely to have the choice though, lucky you x
Packed sand sounds kind of nice. I guess it must be a bit damp so as not to be too fluffy. I used to cycle (VTT) in the forests north of Paris a lot, and many of the paths we used were surfaced with a deep layer of sand. It's a race horse training area and they use the sans paths for the horses. I remember that in the winter it was ok as the sans was damp, but in the summer it was really difficult as the sans was dry and fluffy so made cycling really hard work. I dont know how that would effect running, but I guess it must be similar.
For the last 8 years I've lived on the north bank of the Loire so my normal run is along the path that runs along the river bank. That is made up of stretches of packed grit and sand, and stretches of tarmac. I have to say that the difference between running on the packed grit and running on the tarmac rather astonished me at first. The grit feels much gentler on the legs and feet. In the summer, when the grass at the side of the path is very short, I like to run on that too, that is even nicer, but when the grass gets longer then its not so good.
I'm very lucky in that moter traffic is quite rare where I run. There is the odd car going to houses along the river bank but no through traffic. I like to run in the early morning, and then I often see no-one at all apart from maybe an occasional cyclist or runner. The cyclist normally come out later in the day, we get a lot of Dutch tourists that like to cycle along the Loire as it has cycle path along a lot of its length. Of course, that is good for runners too
Interesting. We will be crossing France twice in a few months time while travelling to Europe. I will definitely look out for paths along rivers for my morning run. It sounds fantastic.
Had a quick look at the map and It sounds interesting. The same site would probably have other regions. I will check it out.
I am looking at flat, easy, pleasant, woody, or meadowy scenery, and a path alongside any river will be a bonus. It would be wonderful to be able to do 10K by September so as to enjoy a good run.
Never tried hard sand. Actually never tried running on the beach, but I can imagine it must be quite pleasant and gentle for the joints.
If you have access to soft sand [dunes are excellent, as long as you don't damage the fragile ecosystem] then I find it excellent for calf training...no, not young cattle, calf muscles. Sprint up, and jog/walk down. 10 reps and then rest. Repeat as you are able.
Interesting. I did a 7k trail run a couple of weeks ago. It was the first time I've run off tarmac/treadmill, and there were two short hills worthy of the name. I still got round in 44:33 which is a good time for me, so it must have been easier than tarmac running. Maybe I should try a few more off road runs, at least when it's dry!
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W9R2 - running in sand 😫😫
Swansea beach 5.9 k run
Out of the frying pan and into the fire; Or, Week 6 Run 1 - Thailand
W2R3 tomorrow
W5R1 - I. Kicked. So. Much. ASPHALT.
