Runners - pounding the pavement vs in the dirt

corsayre8 · May 2013

I'm a trail runner. I live in the hills, and am blessed with many gorgeous trails to choose from on a daily basis.

A friend of mine wants us to sign up for a half marathon this fall, but it is mostly on a paved bike trail. I've only run in the pavement a few times and definatly noticed a difference in the concussion in my ankles. Granted, that was a few month back when I was just getting back into running and was 25 pounds heavier (still have about 25 to go), but it still scares me.

What I'm wondering, is how much if a difference do you feel it makes? Could I just keep training on the dirt, and run that one day and follow up with a bunch of ice? Or would I have to plan a decent amount of training on pavement?

Shiroi · May 2013

I'm not a professional, but I would think it wouldn't hurt to train a couple of days on pavement so you won't be in too much discomfort when you actually run the paved trail. I think the type of shoes you wear, and maybe wearing some ankle support/braces will help with the impact. Good luck with whatever you choose!

meeper123 · May 2013

Def run on some pavement maybe even get some shoes that are more cushioned if you experience problems a marathon is way to far to be uncomfortable!

Chieflrg · May 2013

I prefer the trails to, especially soft wood chip.

I run 5k-10K every weekday morning on pavement & usually a half marathon on at least one or sometimes both of the weekend days but on crushed gravel bike trails/grass/wood chips. I feel a huge difference in all the surfaces.

I deal with a joint disease that effects my knees among others joints. So I pay very close attention to how my body reacts to the pounding. As my joints are usually swollen every morning.

Maybe try to wait out til you are around 10-15 lbs away from goal weight and you should be good to start training for the half.

If I were you I would definitely mix it up at a low ratio for pavement and gradually move it up to a high one. Obviously wearing the proper shoes for each surface. Trail shoes will eat up your ankle on pavement with the stiffer sole and added weight. During your training, you could really focus on using your thighs to lighten the impact with double checking your landing is correct.

Good luck!

khall86790 · May 2013

I prefer the dirt to run in but the pavement isn't bad either, there isn't too much of a difference but there is something satisfying about having muddy trainers at the end of a good run!

kelsis61 · May 2013

I run on a mix depending on the days and where I am at. I will say I do feel a difference when running on paved versus a trail of dirt/gravel. I would try to build my self up with your training do at least 1-2 days on paved duiring the week and slowly increase over time until your marathon. Other wise you may hurt during your run and that is a long distance to go hurting. Just my suggestion! i wish you the best of luck!

corsayre8 · May 2013

I prefer the trails to, especially soft wood chip.

I run 5k-10K every weekday morning on pavement & usually a half marathon on at least one or sometimes both of the weekend days but on crushed gravel bike trails/grass/wood chips. I feel a huge difference in all the surfaces.

I deal with a joint disease that effects my knees among others joints. So I pay very close attention to how my body reacts to the pounding. As my joints are usually swollen every morning.

Maybe try to wait out til you are around 10-15 lbs away from goal weight and you should be good to start training for the half.

If I were you I would definitely mix it up at a low ratio for pavement and gradually move it up to a high one. Obviously wearing the proper shoes for each surface. Trail shoes will eat up your ankle on pavement with the stiffer sole and added weight. During your training, you could really focus on using your thighs to lighten the impact with double checking your landing is correct.

Good luck!

This is helpful, thank you!

The shoes I ran in were a Brooks hybrid, so maybe I will try an actual road shoe. Maybe if I head town to the bike trails along the river, road running won't feel so tedious.

I'm actually less than 10 pounds from a "healthy" range, so not too worried about that. I'm up to running between 4-6 miles 4-5 times per week. And my longest run so far is just over 7 miles. I'm not competitive, and don't have a personality that would mesh well with a rigid training program. Just going to start tacking on an extra half mile or so onto my longer runs every couple weeks and see how it goes :-)

caly_man · May 2013

go on a 5 mile run on the pavement and see what that feels like. I suspect it'll be uncomfortable even with better shoes.

you also know your pace so do the math and see how long its going to take you to complete 13.1, we're talking about hours of running on the pavement. On the other hand if you are going to walk some, jog some, run some, then it may not be too bad. I know when I use to race, it wasn't so much to enjoy the experience, it was to run the fastest I could so I could improve my times.

the simplest answer might be to wait one more season to do the 1/2 marathon until you've reached goal weight, a lighter you means your ankles and knees will thank you for it

Capt_Apollo · May 2013

i normally run on asphalt. i avoid concrete as much as possible. and i run in 4mm drop minimus shoes.

just did my first half marathon and the thing was predominantly on a concrete bike trail. lately i've been paying attention to the people that i see running on concrete, and notice that they're wearing shoes with more of a cushioned heel.

so whatever you decide to do, take about a month to get used to that type of road. look to how your stride should be adjusted.

michellekicks · May 2013

I've been a road runner for years and only recently am making a move to more trail running. I'd definitely recommend a road shoe... I run in Brooks and have the Cascadia for trails and the Ravenna right now for road (I also have the Pure Flow but only use it for short distances) but I prefer the Adrenaline - been wearing Adrenalines for over 10 years now.

You'll be faster on the road but I definitely recommend moving your long slow run to the road... go way slower than you feel is natural, in order to give your legs the pavement pounding training they're going to need. Start at maybe 6miles and work up from there. But I'd think there's no reason some of your training can't still be on trails. May even be better for you that way.

For me, trails are the next evolution of challenging myself.

jenilla1 · May 2013

I train on dirt trails only and run on paved surfaces only on race day. I find that if I train on pavement I end up injured. I'm ok just running the pavement on race day and then taking extra rest/recovery time if I need to. I do better staying OFF the hard stuff as much as possible and still do fine at the races! :drinker:

P.S. I see a bunch of people suggesting you need months of practice on hard surfaces, even suggesting you sit out for a season to prepare, but that sounds so dramatic to me! I don't need ANY prep to run on pavement vs. dirt. I just prefer to keep the damage to a minimum so I only do pavement during races. I don't carry extra weight, though, so that might make the difference.

Runners - pounding the pavement vs in the dirt

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