What do you think about while running? Should you think about your form or your breathing or your foot strike? At times those are good things to think about.

It is good to occasionally check your form, something that I will probably address in the future, but unlike many sports, distraction can be a good thing. Nowadays many people run with their iPod and they know very well the value of distraction (maybe too well). If you are an iPod runner and that works for you, great! Just be careful if you are running near busy roads because you can't hear vehicles very easily. Instead of viewing running as a chore that you have to suffer through, allow your run to be a getaway or alone time can make it so much better.

I like to think and pray when I run. Getting outside and witnessing the beauty of what God has created makes for a great environment for prayer. Praising God, confessing sin, giving thanks, praying for others and asking God for provision are all good things to pray about at any time, including while you run.

In addition to listening to music and praying while running,your run can also be a good time for thinking about anything. I like to think about papers and sermons that I am writing, future plans, upcoming races, how I can be a better husband to Katie, and the list goes on. The biggest thing is to occupy your mind with something that you enjoy doing rather than locking yourself into thinking about running all the time.

For me, I think about running quite often because that is one of my passions, but if it is something that you may not enjoy as much, it is perfectly fine to let your mind wander. Just don't let your legs wander too far from the path or you may not know where you are (believe me, I've done that too and being lost is no fun!).

Question of the Week (feel free to post your answer as a comment by clicking on the link below): What is your favorite distraction while running? Post has no comments.

Now that the meltdown is occurring (with high’s in the mid to upper 40’s this week), it’s a good time to talk about the best running surfaces. The surface on which you run makes a big difference when talking injury prevention. The harder the surface, the worse it is for your legs (knees, bones, muscles, and all) and the greater the recovery time. The softer the surface, the more forgiving it is, and the better your body will feel.

So, in order from worst to first, I will discuss some of the surfaces on which you are likely to spend some time running.

Concrete – The worst! Hard and unforgiving, this is the surface of most city sidewalks and streets on which many of us are regulated to run occasionally, but especially when snow is covering everything else. When you can, avoid concrete like the plague in your training. Don’t worry about it on race day, it is actually faster than many of the other surfaces, just not good for the day in, day out grind.

Blacktop – Often the road type for many suburban side-streets and paths (there are a lot of blacktop roads and sidewalks here in Deerfield), these are good alternatives to concrete, but not a whole lot better. I often run on blacktop roads for tempo runs because they are fast, but I try not to do too much of my easy pace runs on them. One thing that I hate (selfishly) are blacktop paths! I know they are appreciated by bikers and walkers, but as a runner I wish they would stop at the dirt stage and never lay down the blacktop at all.

Mondo Track – Tracks are pretty easy on the knees while offering a lot of speed (even greater than concrete). When you need to hit the track for an interval session, you don’t have to worry about your body taking much of a toll due to the surface. The monotony of it's 400 meter size and the lack of scenery are the biggest limiting factors of the track.

Dirt trails and paths – These are a runner’s delight. Abundant in Forest Preserves and an occasional park, dirt trails are a great running surface with enough speed to get a good judge of pace if you need to, but also very kind to your body. My favorite trails to run on are in the Ryerson Woods forest preserve and the Des Plaines River Trail. If you are anywhere near the Des Plaines River, the trail stretches for dozens of miles, has mile markers (great for tempo runs and long runs), and there is some amazing scenery and wildlife to witness (squirrels of course, hawks, deer, fox, coyotes).

One time a coyote was on the trail that I was running towards. I was on a long run and had a ways to go so I didn’t want to turn around. As I ran towards it, the coyote ran away from me but stayed on the trail for a while before dashing off the trail and out of sight all on the river side of the trail. Then all of a sudden as I approached the spot where it disappeared, the coyote dashed across the path and into the woods. That gave me quite a scare! Don’t worry about that too much though. I have put hundreds of miles on that trail and had no bad experiences with the wildlife. Just don’t get too curious.

Grass – grass is an amazing surface to run on and is very kind to your body, even slightly better than the dirt trails. The only down sides are that it can be a bit slow and may have some holes and bumps that could cause a sprained ankle. If you are just running to put in the mileage and you have a long, flat, grassy stretch to run on, go for it! Oftentimes you will find nice grassy parts right beside a paved sidewalk or path, so step off the path and run on the grass…for your knees’ sake.

Did I just kill your favorite run? Sorry :(

Happy running!

God bless,
Chad Post has no comments.