These last minute decisions increase the likelihood of injury to the runner who does not train properly. Muscle cells are broken down during intense exercise and need time to repair themselves. Like a race car that doesn t take pit stops, an overeager runner will experience physical breakdowns. Overuse injuries in runners include stress fractures, shin splints and tendinitis in the feet, knees or hips. The majority of these overuse injuries are avoidable with proper training.
Proper training starts with choosing the least stressful surface.
Grass and wood chip covered paths are the best surfaces to run on. Converseley, asphalt and cement are the most stressful surfaces on which to run. They present the added problem of being pitched, having a transverse grade, to facilitate water drainage. Indeed water drains well from a transverse grade, but the pitched surface adds rotational stress to the ankles, knees, hips and lower back. Rotational stress is created when muscle groups compensate to keep a runner balanced when running on uneven surfaces.