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The beach isn\u2019t the Verrazano Bridge<\/strong> nor the Panathinaiko Stadium<\/strong>, but it still has its own place in the sentimental iconography of running enthusiasts and those who voraciously chase kilometers. You know, Pamela Anderson in slow motion or the stars of Chariots of Fire<\/strong> dancing as the music sends chills down the spine. That gives it an interesting angle: training at sunrise or sunset (doing it amid the surfwear and sandcastles tends to be less glamorous), moving with the sea at your side, letting the breeze pamper you\u2026 But is it beneficial for our aspirations as runners?<\/strong> It probably isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Following the old maxim of Les Luthiers (\u201cthe important thing isn\u2019t knowing, but having the number of the person who knows\u201d), we queried Juan del Campo<\/strong>, National Athletics Coach (Senior Technician in Athletics, according to the new nomenclature imposed by the law change), who is adamant from the outset: \u201cAs far as what you can do, you can run on the beach, but I would never advise doing it continuously or logging a lot of kilometers<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n The reason for his reluctance is fairly logical. \u201cWe aren\u2019t accustomed to the environment, and the risks are obvious, as the usual outcome is a joint overload since the sand is very soft,\u201d explains the Professor of the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM)<\/strong>, not shying away from acknowledging that there are benefits too: \u201cOf course we\u2019ll strengthen the architecture of the foot by working on a soft, often unstable surface, but that factor, if we push beyond a certain point, becomes negative; that\u2019s why continuous running on the beach isn\u2019t the best option. There are other types of sessions that are far more interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n He keeps it concise: which ones? \u201cI\u2019d use the beach for short intervals that help us increase speed, or for targeted strengthening on both hard and soft sand. In no case should the volume be very high. For example 10 x 100 m on hard sand<\/strong>, which we can run well, or 10 x 40 or 10 x 50 m on soft sand that forces more pushing. If you add up the reps, you won\u2019t exceed a kilometer even in the longest effort, which greatly minimizes injury risk.\u201d<\/p>\n It is advisable to seek the most compact sand after the tide goes out.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The fact that this Doctor of Physical Activity and Sports Science (like many colleagues in the field with whom we\u2019ve debated this topic) isn\u2019t thrilled with the idea of piling on miles on the sand has reasons, let\u2019s say\u2026 even geographic ones: \u201cGenerally speaking, Spanish beaches\u2014with the exception of the north\u2014have a very steep entry into the water<\/strong>, a kind of small lip. The classic example is La Concha in San Sebasti\u00e1n; the tide comes in high and then recedes, making the water entry very gentle, nothing like what happens on most beaches in the Levante or Andalusia.\u201d With that in mind, he advises: \u201cLook for the most compact sand after the tide goes out, which means you must know well the moments when that happens\u2026 which may not coincide with the hottest hours<\/strong>\u2026 another factor to consider during the traditionally vacation months.\u201d<\/p>\n This doesn\u2019t look like a good idea\u2026 | iStock<\/span><\/p>\n And what if the beach has a steep fall? The classic back-and-forth to compensate. It turns out this old practice, far from clever, is ridiculous: \u201cIf the beach has a brusque entry to the sea and you run along the shore, leant to one side, you\u2019ll create a very large asymmetry in the supporting forces. Changing sides to compensate doesn\u2019t help<\/strong>; what you\u2019re doing is creating two overloads: one on one side and another on the other.\u201d In that scenario of a sloped beach, Juan doesn\u2019t hesitate: \u201cI would not run. Never.\u201d<\/p>\n If the beach is well suited, it becomes much more flexible: \u201cYes, I would run, but I wouldn\u2019t exceed 10 kilometers in continuous training. And I would reach that distance gradually, giving the body a progressive adaptation period. When we can run without the barrage of overloads we\u2019ll obtain the benefits of being at sea level, the best possible aerobic situation, since we\u2019ll make the most of the oxygen<\/strong>.\u201d That said, he makes an exception, even if the beach is \u2018good\u2019: \u201cI would never advise people suffering from plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendinopathy to run here, as they would be overtraining that fascia and that tendon.\u201d<\/p>\n In those cases, and for those who are healthy but want to strengthen their feet, he recommends \u201ca controlled program of exercises to strengthen the plantar muscles. We would use a stretch of soft sand about 12 m long, as if it were a long jump pit (editor\u2019s note: Juan works a lot like this with his group of athletes at the Madrid High-Performance Center), to perform foot-specific exercises: walking on tiptoes, heel-to-toe, toe-out, toe-in, skipping\u2026 And we would do it barefoot.\u201d Not like continuous running: \u201cIf you\u2019re going to roll, wear the same shoes you would normally wear,\u201d sums up the man who, together with Luis Miguel Mart\u00edn Berlanas<\/strong>, coaches some of the most prominent distance and middle-distance runners in our country: Tariku Novales (Spain\u2019s half-marathon champion 2020), Yago Rojo (international on track and cross-country) or Celia Ant\u00f3n (in 2019 she won bronze in the 5,000 meters at the European Under-23 Championships with the national record for the category included).<\/p>\n Another delicate topic that directly affects the two areas we\u2019re covering (running and the beach) is the use of flip-flops, the holiday footwear par excellence if your leisure time is spent by the sea. Juan, who was a cook before becoming a coach (1:51.00 in the 800 meters in his youth) reminds us that \u201cpodiatrists advise against wearing flip-flops continuously. When summer arrives, the best approach is to introduce their use gradually<\/strong>; the same as we must get used to running on the beach, wearing flip-flops also requires an adaptation. Each day you can wear them a bit longer, letting the musculature get used to a footwear that lacks reinforcement and cushioning, and is very flat. What drives many people to the physiotherapist in the early days of September is flip-flop overuse.\u201d He clarifies: \u201cI\u2019m talking about the beach flip-flop<\/strong>, the toe-post one, worn by most people, not those stronger models that expose more of the top of the foot and that feel cooler, but are much more like a conventional shoe, with reinforcements, cushioning, and a drop\u2026<\/p>\n To finish, a question that surely most of you who, driven by your unwavering passion for strides, cannot imagine resting on days when you\u2019re in the beach bar and horchata world (since it\u2019s useless we\u2019ve not even suggested it) are asking: what to do if the beach you vacation on isn\u2019t suitable for running? With this we bid farewell to Juan, aware that there aren\u2019t many compact earth paths near mass tourist spots (if that isn\u2019t your case, go for them): \u201cBetter asphalt than a seaside promenade<\/strong>. Especially if you\u2019re dealing with a minor discomfort. It\u2019s preferable to press well on asphalt than poorly on uneven grass or a tile. Still, I wouldn\u2019t overuse asphalt and I\u2019d be very careful with sudden changes from the terrain we\u2019re used to running on. If you always train on dirt and on vacation you switch, be prudent because your body will feel it; it\u2019s like switching from one pair of shoes to another.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\nTHE LEAST POSSIBLE ON THE SAND<\/h2>\n
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BE CAREFUL WITH FLIP-FLOPS<\/h2>\n