Where and how often do you run?

[NickW]

I'm just curious to see where most of you run, meaning do you mostly run trails, or do you run sidewalks or roads, or do you run on paved trails? That also brings me to the do you run everyday or do you run every other day or just run as often as you feel like? I've heard several people say that they can't run every day and so I am wondering if there is a correlation to the surface that the person runs on and how often they can run. I run sidewalks and paved trails mostly and I can run 4-5 days a week, but can only do 2-3 days max of barefoot a week as my soles just don't seem to recover fast enough and they get pretty tender with multiple days in a row, BUT if I run in the park on the paved trails (smoother) and stay off the worn sidewalks my soles can last much much much longer and I can run more frequently with less problems. I also notice that running on actual trails my soles don't seem to get worn, although they can sometimes get cut if I'm not paying attention and step on something sharp.

 

[Barefoot HannahC]

I run trails at the local metro parks. The terrain varies: part paved, grass, dirt with gravel. Generally, I run 6 days a week. It is bending the rules at the park to be on the trails after dark, so, this year, I've been replacing runs with other work outs for a couple of those days.

I stay away from roads. People around here can't drive and there are no sidewalks.

 

[Hobbit]

For me it's generally every other day or else I'm in for problems on the bony side of pains.
As to surface it depends: for speed training or revising technique and trying new things out, it's roads.
I have a regular round half road half forest (natural soil with usual plant stuff on it - acorns, twigs, pine seeds ...). Another regular round (a bit longer that one) is a not too technical trail (grass, dirt with gravel, and some patches gravel without dirt)
If the weather is shitty I'll stick to the road (no, I don't like exploring deep mud with my naked feet - you never know, what else could be in there - feeteating monsters lurking or whatever )

 

[dutchie53]

Mostly a road warrior or paved trails. If I had some nice trails close to where I live I would more than likely do them half of the time.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

99% road runner, I will hit a local trail here and there which isn't all that great. If I want to run a decent trail I have to drive to it, to much work. Right now I'm running once a week, seems like every December my body shuts down, so I take time off. But normally I run 3 to 4 days a week, every other day.

 

[dutchie53]

I find the same thing, it is hard for me to get motivated to run in December. I get out maybe 2-3 times per week and those are of the short variety. Just enough to keep the joints lubricated.

 

[NickW]

Funny Gentile and dutchie, my body does that in the peak of summer, around July'ish but then in the winter I am great with smooth sailing. Of course, we don't get as cold as you guys do either. For me it's the heat that really kills me and forces me to slow up on my running.

 

[clawhammer72]

Since the trails are a drive, I mostly run concrete sidewalk. Lately, I've left the flats around my house and taken to running a six mile route that takes me up a big local hill to the highest point in the city and back. I'm only running once or twice a week. On my normal schedule, I run every other day, but I guess I'm taking a break. Not sure why.

 

[Mikkel]

I run approx. 3 times a week about 10 KM. Mostly on sidewalks and some gravel paths along the road.

 

[Bare Lee]

Three times a week, every other day, about an hour each time, although I'd like to get the third run, the weekend run, back up to 90-120 minutes once I'm safely clear of a recent spat of ITBS.

I have a decent palette of surface types to choose from around here: various concretes, road & park path blacktop--from smooth asphalt to mild chipseal, sandy gravel down on the high school track, and compact dirt and patches of natural gravel/rocks/pebbles out on a nearby trail. Up at our lake property we have bona fide backwoods, gnarly gravel--a treat, sort of. As with BG, Dutchie, and CH71, if it were more practicable, I would run trails the majority of the time.

Hard to say if I'd be limited by my soles if I were to run everyday, as I've only done that once, over a two-week period in 2011, and I was just running 2-5 miles each day. My soles did fine with that, but perhaps if I were running higher mileage I'd feel it. Generally speaking, I like giving whatever's being worked out a full 48 hours to recover/adapt. An anaerobic day followed by an aerobic day seems best of all.

I never take time off on purpose. That happens on its own too much as it is. I also don't seem to vary much seasonally. I tend to embrace the elements--makes me feel vital. I only run shod when it gets too cold. Today might be my first shod run of the season, but I'll start out bare to see.

 

[OdiarAmor]

I run whenever I can. I am, hands down, a night runner. Hubby has school late on Mondays and Tuesdays right now and he has a hard time staying with the baby because he is honestly not a baby person and freaks out that the baby may get hungry while I'm out got a run. When I run though, I run at a local dam on the road. There is a padded track near the hospital where I work (for those military people, the padded a track around the hospital so that those assigned to WTU could use it). I may take advantage of the track when I go back to work.

 

[scedastic]

Mostly rough chip/seal roads, sometimes on flat gravel trails, rarely on sidewalks, once in a blue moon on 'real' trails (like in the woods with paths and hills and such). Sometimes every day (psychologically it's an addiction that I have to fight not to do every single day), sometimes skip a day or two or more.

However, I rarely get to run bf, (usually in huaraches) so it's unlikely that I go day after day running bf. I did it a few times recently, but the changing weather (hot to cold to wet to cold and wet) confounded the day after day eval on how my soles would do, though they were getting tender by the last day in a row.

That said, after I get in a habit, and keeping the mileage reasonable, watching for tightness and the like, my body seems ok with every day.

 

[scedastic]

I'm also going to guess that when I start working on speed and/or distance increases, days off may be more important, as others seem to benefit from it greatly.

 

[paraganek]

Running on trails (hilly, dirt and gravel) three times a week, every other day, about an hour each time, always skin to ground. During winter rainy season if it gets too slippery on the trail I occasionally and reluctantly venture out of the woods onto a flat paved surface (and enjoy the speed that comes with it ).

 

[scedastic]

I run whenever I can. I am, hands down, a night runner. Hubby has school late on Mondays and Tuesdays right now and he has a hard time staying with the baby because he is honestly not a baby person and freaks out that the baby may get hungry while I'm out got a run. When I run though, I run at a local dam on the road. There is a padded track near the hospital where I work (for those military people, the padded a track around the hospital so that those assigned to WTU could use it). I may take advantage of the track when I go back to work.

Good for you for working hard to find time for yourself and your body with a baby and such a situation where it would be easier to skip after a long day. Keep it up.

 

[OdiarAmor]

Thank you. That means a lot. My Hubby is a big runner too, so it helps to have someone who supports me in that aspect. I'm intent on buying a double stroller once I go back to work so that I can haul both boys around. Pushing a running stroller is a GREAT workout. I got so used to it that when I would go out without a stroller, I was so much faster.

 

[ThomDavid]

I'm working on the every-other-day part right now. When I first started bf, I kept it to one day run, two days something else. I think I've gotten to the point where every-other-day will work, with non-run days devoted to some form of aerobic cross-training.

At the moment, I'm sticking to concrete sidewalks of varying composition, such as smooth or pebbled surfaces, or some limited chipseal. My form isn't quite good enough yet for trails, since when I run them, I invariably end up with blisters, so I'm devoting this winter to really developing good form so that, come spring, I can return to my favorite local running trail. Like you, Nick, warm weather is my nemesis: these cool fall/early winter mornings are a godsend. I'm hoping that a full winter's worth of bf running will sufficiently condition my soles for warm weather running. Otherwise, I can see myself backing off a bit, or, perhaps, trying out a Vibram or huarache alternative.

 

[NickW]

Thank you. That means a lot. My Hubby is a big runner too, so it helps to have someone who supports me in that aspect. I'm intent on buying a double stroller once I go back to work so that I can haul both boys around. Pushing a running stroller is a GREAT workout. I got so used to it that when I would go out without a stroller, I was so much faster.

I always push a stroller and I never really know just how fast I truly am until there is a race or something that I can run without the stroller.

 

[NickW]

I'm working on the every-other-day part right now. When I first started bf, I kept it to one day run, two days something else. I think I've gotten to the point where every-other-day will work, with non-run days devoted to some form of aerobic cross-training.

At the moment, I'm sticking to concrete sidewalks of varying composition, such as smooth or pebbled surfaces, or some limited chipseal. My form isn't quite good enough yet for trails, since when I run them, I invariably end up with blisters, so I'm devoting this winter to really developing good form so that, come spring, I can return to my favorite local running trail. Like you, Nick, warm weather is my nemesis: these cool fall/early winter mornings are a godsend. I'm hoping that a full winter's worth of bf running will sufficiently condition my soles for warm weather running. Otherwise, I can see myself backing off a bit, or, perhaps, trying out a Vibram or huarache alternative.

During the summer months I am really mostly a sandal runner. My feet don't handle the hot pavement well and it's no fun to run when the feet hurt. During winter I can run barefoot a lot more.

 

[DNEchris]

About 45 times, and a little over 300 miles, a month over the last 6 months. 95% city streets - the rest light trail or beach.
Barefoot full time from the end of April to the beginning of October, mostly in minimal shoes through late autumn and winter but still with a few barefoot miles each month.
Mileage drops in Jan and Feb as that is when I can go XC-skiing.