Quick Sand

TRADE IN THE PAVEMENT FOR THE BEACH TO GET MORE OUT OF EVERY KILOMETRE.

- Samantha Lefave

WHEN KYRA OLIVER heads out for her morning run, she usually opts for a paved route. But once or twice a week, the 50-year-old runs past her usual start and heads toward the beach instead, where she watches the sun rise and listens to the waves crash as the kays tick by. Running on the sand helps Oliver clear her mind, but it also supplements her training for marathons and 80-K trail races.

“It works different muscles and requires a different focus for me,” Oliver explains. “If I’m on the packed sand by the water, I can set a nice pace and do short pick-ups. Running where it’s looser can be a good strength workout that simulates variances I might find on the trail.”

Oliver’s right: opting for a soft surface such as sand is a smart way to add diversity to your normal training routine. “By putting in mileage on the sand, you’ll put less stress on your weight-bearing joints, such as your hips, knees, and ankles, which can help decrease the risk of impact associated injuries like stress fractures,” says Erika Lee Sperl, a kinesiologist and high-performance sport consultant for Orreco, a sports and data analytics company that helps elite athletes optimise performance.

Research backs that up. Studies have shown that running on sand – especially the soft, dry sand that’s typically found further from the water’s edge – will probably lower your odds of impact associated overuse injuries. In a small 2017 study published in the European Journal of Sport Science, for example, women who ran on soft sand experienced less muscle damage and inflammation than those who ran on grass. And a 2014 study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences found that the soft surface even reduced muscle soreness and fatigue.