Running on the beach, a workout not just for summer

Javier Colomer 6 min. of reading Running Leave a comment

Start the day with an extra boost of motivation as your run along the seashore coincides with the sunrise. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area that allows you to live this experience and you’re committed to a healthy lifestyle, you may not know it, but you have a great treasure… Running along the beach puts you in direct contact with nature!

Index

1 Is it good to run on the beach?
2 How to run on the beach
3 Running on the beach barefoot or with trainers?
4 Tips for running on the beach

Is it good to run on the beach?

It’s a very different experience to running down the street or even through a different terrain such as the countryside.

Start running on the beach!

It is a total contact with mother nature, and although trail running can achieve the same effect, the fact of doing it while looking out of the corner of your eye at the immensity of the sea gives a special feeling of freedom.

Benefits

Do you get more benefits from running on the sand on a beach?

We could list many (that we will now), but I wanted to dwell particularly on one of them, which I’ll highlight first.

Take advantage of running along the beach as a couple.

Do you use up more calories if you run on the beach? The answer could be yes.

This is because the soft ground offers a resistance that the muscles of the lower body must overcome to keep moving forward: the production of muscle strength necessary to support, propel and control the body’s balance and move the extremities.

It is quite likely that, in addition to using up more calories, the grade of dehydration is higher due to the sun’s rays…

Are there other possible benefits of running down the shore?

Anti-stress: It has a total disconnecting effect. A natural setting, alone and doing a healthy exercise.
Improves breathing: You will inhale much purer air, away from the pollution of urban areas.
Strengthens ankles: In contrast to movement on a hard surface, running on the sand causes the foot to move the sand, resulting in additional external work, which will strengthen your ankles.
A complete workout: Sand can be the perfect space for change of direction exercises. In addition, it highlights the work on the proprioceptive system, as it is an unstable surface.
A challenge: It can be quite a challenge, at least at first, to run facing the large amount of terrain and you might even be a little awkward. It feels like we’re in the middle of the desert.

How to run on the beach

As sports lovers, running on the beach can generate all the benefits that I have highlighted above.

At HSN we’ll explain how you should be running on the beach.

We can do several sessions a week, although they shouldn’t take up more than 25 to 30 minutes.

Due to the inclination of the beach, it’s advisable to run in one direction and return in the same time in the opposite direction. This will avoid biomechanical problems: in the hip, lumbar, etc.

For athletes or sportsmen and women who are looking for an exhaustive preparation for certain events, running on the beach, except as an active rest or as a strategy for muscle strengthening, would be perfectly valid, but not as a rule.

Running on the beach barefoot or with trainers?

If we know that our biomechanics are subject to continual adaptation to the environment in which we move, we must take this into account when we want to perform an exercise on a surface that we’re not used to moving on.

So, if you always train your running on a flat and hard surface with your feet inside a running shoe, it’s normal that if you do it barefoot from one day to the next on an uneven and softer surface, you’ll end up injuring yourself.

Are you more of a runner with or without running shoes?

Not only will you be susceptible to ankle sprains, but also to knee tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, achilles tendon problems, and even muscle pain.

Therefore, before undergoing such a demanding stimulus without first having adapted your structure and function to this new medium, make sure to make a first contact simply walking a few days before you start running.

Tips for running on the beach

Take note and enjoy your run on the sandy beach, whether it’s summer or not…

The best time to run is early in the morning, which avoids crowds of people (especially in summer), helping you start your day with physical exercise.
You can also choose to run at sunset. What you should avoid is going for a run on the beach in the middle of the day due to the high temperature and humidity, as this will trigger dehydration.
Do you want the best recommendation for finishing your training session on the beach? Take a swim! You’ll get rid of the heat and you can also take advantage of the opportunity to do some more movement, now at a more leisurely pace.
Let the soundtrack of your training be the sea.
Make your run along the shore, with the water above your ankles.
You can also alternate running along the shore on wet sand and walking briskly on dry sand. This is high-intensity interval training: sprinting on the firmer sand and recovering (albeit with some difficulty) on the soft sand. It would also be a progressive option (without sprinting) for those starting to run on the beach.

And most importantly, enjoy sport, nature and the sea!

Other related content to read:

Other exercises that are perfect for doing on the beach. Read about it here.
Going to stop your training routine this holiday season? Don’t! Take some advice from us!with this post.
Be careful when training in the heat! Here are the best recommendations.