Rubber track vs. street

Quoted message said:

I thought rubber tracks would be easier to run on.

Obviously not.

Here's my advice: don't run on the rubber track anymore.

"User" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

So I had been running on my city's streets, sidewalks, etc. ~3 miles at a
time. I switched to a rubberized track just for kicks. Found that I could
really only do 1-1.5 miles, sometimes 2. The insides of my shins hurt
really bad after a short while on the track. Tonight I moved back to
running on streets. Did 2.6 miles, no pain at all. I seem to be able to
run better, longer, whatever when I'm doing it on the street. On the track
it certainly feels like I have more spring, and it seems like I'm going
faster, but I get winded faster and my legs HURT.

I thought rubber tracks would be easier to run on.

"User" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

So I had been running on my city's streets, sidewalks, etc. ~3 miles at a
time. I switched to a rubberized track just for kicks. Found that I could
really only do 1-1.5 miles, sometimes 2. The insides of my shins hurt
really bad after a short while on the track. Tonight I moved back to
running on streets. Did 2.6 miles, no pain at all. I seem to be able to
run better, longer, whatever when I'm doing it on the street. On the track
it certainly feels like I have more spring, and it seems like I'm going
faster, but I get winded faster and my legs HURT.

I thought rubber tracks would be easier to run on.

It still will take some adjusting to get used to this.

I've gotten a similar effect on my shins when wearing Saucony shoes
for a long run. They add more spring to the step too.

There is one other factor, the turns. They are sharper and much more
frequent that just about any turns you might do on a street run.

These observations won't make it easier to run that track any sooner,
but they might help you understand what's happening.

One final suggestion: if/when you return to the track, try using it as
a different kind of training run than what you would do on a street
run. Not necessarily speedwork, but simple things like running the
straights and walking the curves. At least until the track causes you
no pain.

Enjoy the run!
Ed.

"User" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

So I had been running on my city's streets, sidewalks, etc. ~3 miles at a
time. I switched to a rubberized track just for kicks. Found that I could
really only do 1-1.5 miles, sometimes 2. The insides of my shins hurt
really bad after a short while on the track. Tonight I moved back to
running on streets. Did 2.6 miles, no pain at all. I seem to be able to
run better, longer, whatever when I'm doing it on the street. On the track
it certainly feels like I have more spring, and it seems like I'm going
faster, but I get winded faster and my legs HURT.

Firstly, you probably were running faster. The environment of the
track creates a psychological pressure to perform. Why is that? It
could be because of the association between the track and elite,
hard-core, competitive sport. It could be that when you see that
brick-colored oval and those white stripes, you can't help but get
psyched up.

Secondly, your body mechanics vary with surface. It takes time to
adjust to a new surface. The way your foot goes through the strike,
and the way the muscles react is different. Because the surface is
softer, your form might be more sloppy: you might be overstriding more
and hitting with a heavier heel strike, feeling confident that the
rubber will absorb the extra shock. However, you put an extra load on
the muscles in your shin by doing that. Try to stick to the form that
you have when you are running on pavement. Imagine that the rubber is
really stone and run like that.

Lastly, when you use well-cushioned trainers on a rubber track, the
two materials don't work very well together at all. The combination is
very energy sapping. That could also help explain why you feel winded.

I don't do track running in trainers anymore, but use middle distance
spikes exclusively. I'm not saying everyone should do that, but you
might want to try *somewhat* harder shoes, like performance trainers.

User said:

So I had been running on my city's streets, sidewalks, etc. ~3 miles at a
time. I switched to a rubberized track just for kicks. Found that I could
really only do 1-1.5 miles, sometimes 2. The insides of my shins hurt
really bad after a short while on the track. Tonight I moved back to
running on streets. Did 2.6 miles, no pain at all. I seem to be able to
run better, longer, whatever when I'm doing it on the street. On the track
it certainly feels like I have more spring, and it seems like I'm going
faster, but I get winded faster and my legs HURT.

I thought rubber tracks would be easier to run on.

Good comments have been made already -- if you can only do 1.5 miles before
you need to stop, you are going way too fast. Slow down, then you won't get
winded as fast.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/