Beach Running – How To Make It Burn While Staying Flat

Ok, summertime is pretty much upon as and although a lot of trail runners are looking at the calendar and thinking about what events they can schedule in during the coming months, some of you will probably be heading out for vacations with the family or friends.

Sometimes this can mean an exciting chance to get out there and find new trails. However, at times it can mean an unwelcome trail-less trip where you feel lethargic.

I’ve run on beaches many times throughout my life and would never approach it as something I would call “fun” for long periods of time. But – this can be a terrific workout and a way to get a leg burning workout if you don’t have any elevation around you.

Easy is just about the only way to go when you hit the beach for a longer run. According to an article in Experimental Biology “running on sand requires 1.6 times more energy expenditure than does running on a hard surface”.

In layman’s terms that means it is harder and burns more calories! Who doesn’t want their run to burn a few more calories, especially while on vacation?! But of course all that extra effort means we need to know a few things to prevent injury and serious muscle soreness.People frequently asked me about beach running during our time in Miami, so here are a few reason to hit the beach for a run and a few tips to make it more enjoyable.

This is a good point – going out and hitting your hardest pace probably isn’t the greatest choice for the beach, and you likely wouldn’t be able to maintain it anyways. So, take advantage of the terrain and slow it down a bit to keep your stability and enjoy the tougher and flatter run.

“There’s more drag on your feet as you’re doing that training, so when you’re in an environment where there’s not that drag, your legs will not fatigue as easily, ” according to Dr. R. Amadeus Mason, a team physician for USA Track and Field. Beach Running: The Ultimate Calorie Blasting Workout – RunToTheFinish

More drag is something I think about when I’m running down a muddy trail in the spring time or after a summer rain – maybe I’ve now found the way to justify beach vacations as a training tool!

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