Trail, track, treadmill and road – where to train?

Meb advised me to do my non-speed workout on trails rather than paved surfaces and that led me to thinking about merits of each option available for running surface: trail, track, treadmill and road. Every option has its benefits and there are times when they are more appropriate.

Trail

This is where Meb recommends doing most of your runs. Ironically, it’s for the same reason I have seen being given as a con for trail running. The surface is softer and ever-changing, requiring you to spend more energy on running and, therefore, causing you to run slower. I agree with Meb’s take on this: if you are training for a race, make the training harder. It will make the race feel easier and lead you to being faster. The other part of running on a trail is that you have to adjust your steps to the surface. All of this will make your legs stronger and force you to pay attention to your stride.

A commonly cited benefit of trail running is that the surface is softer, decreasing the jarring of your knees and helping avoid injuries. However, I always found it easy to step wrong and hurt myself. Strength exercises tend to help with it, but always make sure you can see where you are running. Trails are probably not ideal for running when it’s dark.

A huge benefit of trail running: usually the views are better! Although around me, people tend to run on a dirt path along the W&OD Trail (shared use paved trail), so I get the same view when I run and bike. But yes, you get to interact with nature more. Personally, I enjoy seeing wild animals. That reminds me: it’s spring, so babies should be coming out soon! I only look at them and every now and then, I will take a picture. Please don’t bother wild life. You are in their home! (also: don’t litter! I am looking at all of you who throw out/drop wrappers from their energy bars and gels wherever you ate them).

Personal experience on with the trails… Not a fan… I guess I should say that a lot depends on what trail you are talking about. One of my friends has told me that for all the years he has been running without knee injuries, running on sand did it for him – his knees hurt for weeks afterwords! On the other hand, it is one intense workout and you will build up muscle really fast. Warning: make sure to run both ways on the beach in the same place, so you don’t create muscle imbalance. My issue with trails comes from running on a path along the bluffs in central California. It’s an amazing place to run! I am sure you can already sense a ‘but’. Well, it’s totally wild with some serious dips. As I got older, it started to impact my spine and got my back to hurt. I was pretty upset because I loved the trail. I also have landed a few times in big mud puddles. Half a problem if I just landed in them, rather than slid into them… (yeah, I had some socks that went from white to brown permanently 😉) But even with that, I do love an occasional run on a beautiful trail. It usually comes with cleaner air, too!

Track

There are two types of track: the synthetic springy ones and asphalt ones. I took a picture at an elementary school by my house and they had the latter kind. The former is what we usually see in track & field competitions. Synthetic track is softer and is easier on your joints, so if that’s a concern for you, this is a wise choice. However, keep in mind that they won’t do as much for your strength. Asphalt tracks are better for strength, but it will be taxing on your joints.

What running around track is best for: tempo and interval workouts. The surface is flat and straight, usually with easy to see markers of some sort for distances (or you can draw them with a piece of chalk). A warning I have been seeing for running around the track is that you are always told to run counter-clockwise and that can lead to muscle imbalances, since you keep turning left. Personal feeling on the subject: I usually train at ungodly hours in the morning, so there is little to no competition on the track. I can run in whichever direction I please.

Nice thing about running around the track: you don’t have to carry all your stuff. You can just leave it in one spot and grab it whenever you need it or once you are done. On the other hand: and you think treadmill is boring??? On a treadmill, I can at least turn on tv or something. Here, I’m just running in (not so big) circles. You can probably guess how I feel about track…

Treadmill

I don’t think there is a piece of gym equipment than a treadmill. Apparently some people refer to it as ‘dreadmill’. However, like everything else, it has its uses. For one thing, there are days when running outside is not an option. A couple of examples from my ‘back yard’: when the ground is covered with ice (definitely safer than slipping around) or when a monsoon hits (extreme winds, pouring rain and thunder – not exactly safe). There are also some parts of the world where being outside is not the safest idea, especially for a petite woman like myself.

So those were obvious reasons for running on a treadmill that have nothing to do with how your body reacts to the surface you are running on. I have heard many times that running on a treadmill is bad for your joints. Comes to find out it’s actually easier on your joints because the surface is cushioned. Not that it means you won’t hurt yourself. Running in a straight line at a repetitive pattern can lead to muscle and bone overuse injuries.

I have read that there is an interesting side effect that occasionally happens to people who run on treadmills: shorter stride. I actually know from experience that using treadmill for all of my runs makes me slower and less efficient runner. Research shows that running on a machine is easier and they suggest 1% to 5% incline to compensate for energy savings. And have I mentioned possibility for boredom? You are staring at a fixed point the whole time.

A double-edged sword of a treadmill: you can always get off of it. It’s good when you are coming back from injury or are concerned that something will get wrong. On the road, you still have to get home. It’s nice when you get hurt or sick, but it also lowers your incentives to push through tough times. Speaking of tough times: intervals on a treadmill… Yeah, those can be intense. The machine will force you to really go full out for the whole time and it’s great. It does translate into improving your time on the road. And you can always push emergency stop button or jump off if you must. So I guess that while treadmill is not great for mileage, it is great for intense speed work.

I have a feeling a few people enjoy this part: my personal experiences with running on a treadmill. First of all: treadmill is how I hurt my hip – I literally fell off of one. Yes, falling on a treadmill is an actual risk you need to take into consideration. It can happen when you accidentally step on the immobile part or trip over your own feet. Yes, you can trip on a road, too. But the road is not going to keep moving and throw you off! Another funny thing that happened to me while running on a treadmill: bruises on my wrists. How, you ask? Well, because the way treadmills at my gym are constructed, there is a hard edge exactly in the way of my arms when I run. Not cool… It took me a while to figure out this one, too. I have a personal problem with treadmills, especially when I do intervals on them: my leg I have injured before VT marathon seems to be bothered by that pounding. I avoid doing that to my body. Personal admission: I also tend to be tempted (and sometimes lose) to grab onto the treadmill, so I don’t fall off. A positive thought on treadmills: I enjoy watching sci-fi movies when I’m on one. Don’t ask me how it works, but I can run forever with a good sci-fi movie/show playing in front of me (feel free to judge me for it, but it works for me).

Friend’s input: a friend with severe pollen allergies said that treadmill is also a life-saver during allergy season. I don’t really suffer from those, but I can see how hiding in an air-conditioned gym from pollen would be a good idea.

Road

I will I could was able to come up with a nice synonym that starts with T 😉

First of all: anybody who thinks that paved trails in my area are ‘flat surfaces’ is seriously mistaken. There are potholes, like on the streets – I live in the area where water freezes in the winter and blows out holes in asphalt. Spring rains wash ground underneath, causing cave-ins and depressions. And then there are tree roots breaking the pavement everywhere. So no, it’s not a perfectly flat surface, thank you very much.

The con of the paved road is as you may expect by now: it’s hard on your joints because you are hitting hard surfaces. On the other hand, it’s easier to keep your stride steady, as road is flatter and the ‘terrain’ (like holes and uneven parts) is easier to see ahead of time. I am pretty lucky in that I have paved trails I occasionally refer to as ‘the road’ and I enjoy running on those. It’s easy running and pretty safe. They even have water fountains, public bathrooms and rest stops on them! However, they come with a serious con: other people. And I’m not talking about others running along. Or even bikers zooming by. I’m talking about a group of people wandering around, taking the whole road and not responding to people yelling at them that they are trying to pass. Or a kid learning how to bike and swerving around (I don’t hold this one against anybody – they are learning and I am happy for them. But they can run you over every now and then, so they are worth mentioning). For those of you who run on actual roads with cars, the con called ‘cars’ or ‘traffic’ is an obvious one. Please be careful! Let’s not forget the annoyance of stopping on crosswalks, either. Some places, running on a road looks more like intervals!

Despite my long explanation of cons of running on the road, I love mine. For many people, roads mean cars and danger, but not for me. I can just get into my zone and trudge along. This surface gives some of the best results (other than setting a high speed on treadmill, but that’s not the same thing, is it?) though, since it is hard and you get the most out of each step.

Conclusion

As you have probably realized from my other posts, I tend to answer questions ‘it depends’. I know that when I search for pros and cons of running on a road, I get flooded with advice to run on a trail. But if you are running your 20 miles and it’s a relatively new thing for you, you might be safer sticking to a paved surface that will be less exhausting and you will have a lower chance of taking a wrong step. A trail is great for putting in some mileage while getting less impact on your joints. Track is awesome for your speed work. Treadmills can be your back-up plan when things go wrong. You may also have personal reasons to favor one over the other. At the end of the day, the most important decision you make is to lace up those shoes and go for a run!

PS

As I was scrolling through my Facebook feed at lunch today, I saw an article on the issue of treadmills. Fascinate read! Apparently the 1% incline rule (advice to use 1% incline to mimic outdoor conditions) is not as universal as we thought. I would recommend you to read up on it here.