Beach Running Advice

lumberjacks94

Training for my first 5K for next week and I will be in San Diego for a concert this weekend, so figured why not do some beach running while I'm there! But I need advice:

Should I run with or without shoes or is that just my preference?
Any specific things I should know to keep myself from injury (outside of don't run on top of a jellyfish)?

Any advice would be appreciated.....

billsica

my only advice is. your at the beach. I'd kick off my shoes and run down were the water would get at my feet. What could be more awesome than that? You don't need shoes. I have no knowledge of the inner workings of the foot, just going by pure coolness factor here.

mmuzzatti

Not sure what you have on west coast as far as sand goes but if you can drive on the beach you can run with shoes on the beach. If the sand is soft like up here on east coast then running is a pain and you can injure yourself.

Flyntiggr

If you don't have any ankle or foot problems, go ahead and go barefoot. Your gait will change, likely on it's own, and be aware that your calves are going to KILL you for a couple of days after. This is typical for beach/barefoot running.

promiseskept

if you haven't ran on a beach before, it is totally different than you imagined. If you run near the shore line the sand is more packed down and a little easier. Personally I find a shoe will hold the arch where it needs to be but it boils down to preference. I would recommend trying it out before you do a full run to see which is more comfortable for you,.

ebert5150

I'm a San Diego native and you might want to run "at" the beach instead of "on" the beach. There is a bike/running path that stretches for about 9 miles and is an awesome place to run. Send me a message if you want more info.

MassiveDelta

I would be cautious. there are things in the sand that can cut your foot. It would suck to miss your race for a "cool" run on the beach. I would advise shoes. Also if you havent run on the beach before its a very different feeling