- Today we thought we'd try and settle an argument.
Which is better?
Road?
- Or off-road?
- I mean, why get muddy when you don't have to?
You've got a smooth surface that's already prepared for you.
- But come on, you can't beat the adrenaline of
going into the countryside, going off the beaten track,
and adventuring over constantly changing terrain.
- Hang on, I mean,
what about sticking to your route that you've got planned?
Running at the pace that you're supposed to.
I mean, the road's always gonna be the same surface
no matter what the weather is doing.
- Really?
But that is part of the joy of venturing off-road Heather.
You are constantly challenging yourself
mentally and physically.
As well as sort of naturally improving
your strength and resilience.
- Okay okay, we're not getting very far here, are we?
So I think it's probably time
we work to prove our respective points.
(upbeat music)
- Right, when running off-road
the types of surfaces can change quite dramatically.
And in this video I'm including
any terrain that isn't smooth, asphalt or tartan.
But, let's start by really discussing
the shock absorption side of things.
Because on the whole, grass, trails, sand, et cetera,
are really a lot more forgiving than running on the road.
So, for every stride that you take
you'll feel a lot less impact and shock through the joints.
So, if you're someone that's coming back
from a running related injury, such as shin splints,
then this is gonna be a much more preferable terrain.
And obviously as these surfaces become softer,
such as from mud or sand,
then those benefits can be enhanced even more.
(busy traffic sounds)
- Doing all of your running off-road
on soft, muddy, grassy surfaces
might wanna alleviate any problems during training.
But if your legs aren't conditioned
or used to running on a harder surface
you could well find yourself in trouble
in the latter stages of a race or even afterwards.
So, if you know that you've got a race coming up
that's going to be on the road,
you need to start to incorporate this type of surface
into your training, so your legs can adapt.
(upbeat music)
One thing you get with road running is consistency.
You know that the surface is smooth.
You know what type of shoes you will need.
And it's also much easier to maintain your pace.
So for example, irrelevant of what the weather is doing,
if you come back to the same stretch of road
to repeat a session,
you should still be able to hold the same pace
for the same effort each time.
- Yeah, but with off-road--
- Hang on a minute, I'm on a roll here.
You're far less likely to take a tumble
or go over on your ankle.
Just, obviously, be careful of the curb.
But it is worth being aware that some roads
will have a camber to help with water runoff.
And if you're doing long runs
or long miles on a slight angle,
then you might start to feel it a little bit in your body.
And just worth being careful
to make sure you don't get injured.
- But uneven surfaces aren't always a bad thing.
They actually really help to recruit
some of those lower leg muscles that help to stabilise
the knee, the ankle and even the foot.
And, you may have heard of people
talking about proprioception before.
And these are essentially these proprioceptive muscles
that work around the foot and the ankle area,
and essentially make micro-adjustments.
Which off-road running is great for.
Whereas running on the road is quite flat,
and it's quite easy for these muscles
to just begin to switch off.
So if you are venturing off-road
then it is also worth maybe considering some exercises.
You can do an inversion or eversion of the ankle.
Which I quite often prescribe to athletes.
Particularly if they know they have quite weak ankles.
So if that is you, perhaps work on these exercises
in the gym before you start venturing off-road,
and considering some specific off-road shoes
that maybe have a little bit more support as well.
(upbeat music)
- Road running can just be that bit easier.
Especially if you're doing several runs a week.
Not just because it's a smoother faster surface,
and it helps you feel good.
But also for route planning.
Now pretty much anywhere you're running on road
you can use a roadmap
or even an app on your phone to find where you're going.
But when it comes to off-road it's harder to find routes,
and you might not know what the footing's gonna be like.
Or even where the paths are gonna come out,
and if they're going to meet.
And if you do get lost when you're running on the roads,
you're probably gonna find some people that you can ask,
and if you're lucky,
maybe even a taxi or a bus to help you get home.
- I hear what you're saying Heather,
but you can't deny
that there's something pretty cool and exciting
about heading off-road, discovering new trails,
and just running for the fun of running.
I mean I love heading out for a long, steady run,
and just getting lost experimenting.
And it's incredible how quickly time flies by.
Now, I don't know the exact science,
but there's definitely a feel good factor
behind heading off-road,
and giving yourself that mental break
from being away from the busy roads,
and just absorbing the nature around you.
It really is quite refreshing.
So, why not try this for one of your next recovery runs.
Just head off-road,
and give your mind and body a little break.
Breath in that fresh air and feel the benefit.
I mean, there is nothing worse
than doing some hard intervals,
trying to get your breath back,
and just inhaling all of those fumes,
bad fumes from rush hour traffic.
Also by avoiding all these cars and lorries
you're also limiting your chances of any collisions.
Which is particularly useful
if you're someone that likes to run listening to music.
(upbeat music)
- Although, I'd argue that running on the road
or at least the pavement, can actually be safer.
Especially if you're training at night.
Our main pedestrian routes are well lit.
You don't need to worry about a head torch
to see your footing.
And if it is well lit
then it generally tends to be a little bit safer.
And with this in mind,
you can repeat the session irrelevant of the time of day,
and even the weather.
'cause if it's been raining you're not gonna have to worry
about boggy, slippery conditions.
And even if it's icy,
you'll find at least the main road routes should be gritted.
- Well sticking with the weather.
What happens when it's lashing it down with rain
or blowing at gale?
I mean, you're probably gonna want to find some shelter.
Which, to be fair, you can probably do on the road,
behind a building here or there.
But when you're running off-road,
you can quite often find natural shelter.
Maybe beneath the canopy of the trees
in a dense woodland area,
where you'll be blissfully unaware
of the worst of the wind or rain.
(upbeat music)
- It's just gonna have to be a truce I think.
As you can see there were obviously training benefits
to both on-road and off-road.
- Yeah, I mean,
if you're not worried about the pace that you're running at,
rather your perceived effort.
Then actually running off-road is great.
If you take sand for example,
you're gonna naturally be working a lot harder in it.
But then when you come back to a harder surface
like the road,
then you're automatically gonna feel a lot better.
- Yeah, well there is no black and white rule
as to which surface you run on.
Both Mark and I mix it up.
We tend to do our long steady runs
on a soft off-road surface,
and then quite often
we'll do our faster runs on a hard surface.
A road, track or sometimes even a treadmill.
Now if you do currently purely run on one type of surface,
and you want to mix it up,
just make sure you do it gradually
so your body has time to adapt.
- Yeah, and we'd love to hear from you guys
as to which one is your preference and why.
So as always,
do let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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