Beach running not for faint of feet
Triathlete Bruce Clayton runs almost as much as he walks. But the first time the 55-year-old ran five miles barefoot on the bright, hot sands of Rehoboth Beach, he immediately regretted it.
"It was really like running on sand paper," Clayton, 55, said.
Running on the sand is desirable to Delaware beach vacationers and locals, but it's not for the faint-hearted or baby-bottom soft feet.
Though sports medicine experts and trainers say beach running is challenging, mind-clearing and heart-pumping workout, they also say that without preparation, people can be more susceptible to ankle, foot and leg injuries.
People should resist the urge to run multiple miles barefoot on a beach and instead ease into the practice, explained Dr. Michael Ciccotti, director of the Rothman Institute's Center for Sports Medicine.
"Often runners very much want to take advantage of that free time and the beauty around them at the beach," explained Ciccotti, also a professor of orthopaedic surgery and chief of Thomas Jefferson University's division of sports medicine.
Many people think sand is soft and a cushion for your legs.
"The reality is the sand is tremendously inconsistent with all respects to all aspects of it," Ciccotti says.
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What's at play
Soft sand actually can put more strain on muscles and joints.
A study in the Journal of Experimental Biology found that running, and even walking, on sand requires 1.6 times more energy and work than moving on a hard surface.
Harder sand near the water's edge is more desirable to run on, but it is also on a slope, which makes a runner's stride uneven.
The softer the sand, the less running you should do, adds Dr. Joseph Mesa, an orthopaedic surgeon with Delaware Orthopaedic Specialists. Muscles work overtime to stabilize the leg, he said.
"f you run in one direction you are really going to put stress on that one hip or knee," Mesa added.
Mary Beth Evans, 50, avoids running on a slant at the beach whenever possible because the angle bothers her legs. That means she will be running closer to the water's edge where the sand is flatter.
"I might pay attention to the tides more and [run] more closer to low tide," said Evans, owner of Rehoboth Beach Running Co.
She will run barefoot, but if she is putting multiple miles or sensing the sand will be too hot to the touch, she will wear sneakers.
"It feels good as long as I build up slowly," Evans said. "I run slower pace and run less distance than I do on the road...I feel like my heart rate gets up higher even though I am running more slowly."
Though she has never injured herself during a run, she said sometimes will feel little twinges of pain in her arches when she runs barefoot.
Running in bare feet is natural, Mesa added, but if you are not used to it, it will cause a lot of problems.
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Lower extremity injuries are by far the most common, Ciccotti said. These injuries also can happen on pavement if people come across potholes, cracks or slippery surfaces along their running route.
But, pavement overall is much more consistent in its firmness, he added. It's difficult to tell how stable the sand is, and if it might contain seashells or beach glass, until your foot lands directly on it.
If pushed too hard, people will feel aches and soreness from inflamed tendons around the knee cap and ankle. Plantar fasciitis, progressive pain in plantar fascia tissue along the bottom of the foot to heel bone is often common as well.
It is easy to sprain a ligament along the side of the knee if the leg twists or pivots on a sandy slope, Ciccotti said, but stress fractures or tears can happen in extreme cases.
Luckily, Mesa said, most beach running injuries are short term and can be healed with time, rest and ice. The key is to take it slow.
"It's like getting into the water. You want to go in slowly when the water is cold and you want to get accustomed to it," Mesa said.
Andres Bonell, 31, of Fort Lauderdale, said he doesn't prep any differently for beach runs during his summer stays in Rehoboth, versus those on the pavement. He just breaks up the run by incorporating time on a trail or boardwalk to give his legs a break.
Clad in a long sleeve shirt, bright blue shorts and bare feet, he ran with ease in between the boogie boards and umbrellas into the Rehoboth surf Thursday morning before the humidity took hold. He savors his beach runs as they are prime for people watching. But his favorite part?
"Of course the ocean," he said.
Trying it out
Clayton, who trains triathletes as co-owner of TriCoach in Rehoboth Beach, enjoys running in the morning when the sun is low in the sky and the crowds haven't swarmed the beach.
"I like that feeling of being alone on the beach," he said. But he no longer runs five miles barefoot in the sand.
"You don't have the support of the shoe. You have to be careful of the arches in your feet and also your ankles," Clayton said. "You don't have the stability."
Get your muscles going before you push them, Ciccotti advised.
Stretch before a beach run by doing stretches that get the muscles warm, such as arm circles or leg lifts that draw the knee to the chest. A cool-down after the run, with quad stretches that bring your heel to bottom and foot flexes that work the hamstring, is beneficial too, to prevent injury.
Muscles aren't the only thing you should prep. Don't forget about your skin and hydration plan, too. Wear a shirt that covers your arms for sun protection and wear sunblock. There is no shade and the water magnifies the sun's rays.
Ciccotti recommends drinking about one to two glasses of water before heading out to the beach.
Take advantage of swimming either in the ocean or pool too, Ciccotti suggested, so you don't burn out your legs with beach runs. Swimming can also be a good option if someone does get injured, he added, because it is easy on the joints and low-impact.
After that first beach run where he "messed up" the bottom of his feet, he added that he has been lucky and hasn't had any injuries from pounding the sand.
"It actually makes my conventional running stronger," he said.
The sand offers some resistance as you push your way through the dunes, which is going to get the heart rate up. You will feel a burn even after running a short distance and see definition over time in your legs and ankle muscles.
For an added challenge, you can wear a running parachute, which is attached around the waist with a belt. The parachute catches the wind to offer more pull and resistance as you make your way through the sand.
After you take off the parachute, running on the boardwalk will feel easier, Clayton said.
"That adds a completely different element," he said. "It just makes conventional running feel so much better and faster."
Jen Rini can be reached at (302)324-2386 or jrini@delawareonline.com. Follow @JenRini on Twitter.