The world is full of fantastic, undulating landscapes. Ultimately, running over such terrain can add to your thrill and excitement. At the starting line of your journey, however, it’s much smarter to stay on the flatlands.
The best distance runners in the world, the Kenyans, do much of their running on the steep slopes of the Great Rift Valley. This training gives them lean, muscular legs and amazing aerobic power. It leads to marathon victories in places like Boston, New York, Chicago, London, and Berlin.
Kenyans excel in hill running because they have been trekking up and down hills from the day they learned to walk. You probably haven’t. As a beginner, don’t mimic the Kenyans.
Uphill running stresses the leg muscles, forcing them to contract extra hard to lift you against the pull of gravity. This produces one of the absolute best forms of aerobic training. Elsewhere in Run Forever, I’ll suggest you run hills. But not now.
Hill running presents a double-edged challenge. Once you reach the top, things get worse. As you turn downhill, the road shock transmitted up your body with each foot strike is greatly multiplied. Now you’re running faster, with gravity, using longer strides. This increases the strain on the ankles, knees, and hips—a runner’s most vulnerable joints.
Downhill running also forces the muscles to contract “eccentrically,” producing many microtears. The day after the Boston Marathon (which has a number of long, steep downhills), Boston is always filled with stiff-moving runners who must turn around and walk backward when descending stairs.
You may run Boston one day, in which case you’ll have plenty of pride to alleviate the pain. When just starting out, however, you should avoid the ups and downs. Seek smooth, flat, stable surfaces.
Much of the time, this stable surface might be the asphalt outside your front door or place of employment. Fine. Pick a flat course with as little traffic as possible, and run on the left side, facing oncoming vehicles. Give them as much room as possible. Safety is always job one. Follow short loop or rectangular courses, or choose out-and-back routes. As your fitness increases, extend the loops, rectangles, or turnaround points.
Hit the track: The local high school or college track is an excellent place to run several miles. Tracks are flat, secure, beckoning, and precisely measured. Most cover 400 meters, the standard for international and Olympic racing. This means that four laps equal 1,600 meters, which is just 9 meters short of a mile. The difference is so small you can ignore it.
You might find some other beginning (or veteran) runners going through their routines on the track. Don’t worry that they might scorn your slowness. Most runners are private. They will mind their own business. The extroverts will probably encourage you with a “Nice going. You’re lookin’ good.”
You can give the same in return. It’s always appreciated. Here’s a note on track-running etiquette. If you’re slower than the others, don’t use the inside lanes. Run in the track’s outermost three or four lanes. The inside lane is where competitive runners will be running hard intervals and timing each lap.
Seek greener grass: Large sports fields can offer wonderful venues for beginning runners. If they are flat enough. Soccer, football, and baseball fields almost certainly will be. Many parents have launched their running programs by circling the fields slowly while their kids were racing to and fro at practice or in games.
Use treadmills when helpful: Serious runners used to disdain treadmills. They were ugly, clunky, expensive, and, worst of all, indoors. Real runners ran only outdoors. Preferably at five a.m. in a blizzard.
Thank goodness times have changed. I don’t know any runners today who won’t admit to the multiple advantages of occasional treadmill running. Especially at five a.m. in a blizzard. Or in a midsummer heat wave.
Treadmills are especially welcoming for beginning runners. You can set a comfortable speed, avoid all hills, and have no worries about extreme weather. Best of all, treadmills are soft. They “give” a little when we run on them, unlike asphalt, concrete, and other hard surfaces. This extra cushioning might prevent injuries and/or help you during a comeback from injury.