What is the Best Surface to Run on?

Whether you are just starting out on your first run or looking to start back up again after an injury, choosing the best surface for you is an important decision. The type of surface you run on determines how much ground reaction force is sent back up into your body with each step. The harder the surface, the harder the impacts and the more force that is driven back up through our feet, ankles, shins, knees, etc.

Hard Surfaces - The Positives

The good thing about harder surfaces is speed. We can travel much faster as the time spent on the ground will be less than if we run on a softer surface like dirt or sand. The amortization phase (read: time spent transitioning from landing to takeoff) is much shorter when we run on surfaces like asphalt or pavement.

Without getting into the physics of it all, essentially, we are able to create more force and quicken our reaction time on harder surfaces as they provide a stable platform for us to run on.

Hard Surfaces - The Negatives

The downside of this is that each step sends a tremendous amount of force back up through our bodies causing more damage over time compared to softer surfaces. If your recovery is not enough to heal from all of the damage caused, you will eventually run into (pun intended) an overuse injury. The damage caused by each step will accumulate over time until something eventually gives way and breaks. The harder the surface, the faster this damage accumulates.