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May 23, 2013 at 4:43 am #607600
hammerheadParticipantPlease note their is NO disrespect. I would like to know why some of you run in the street. Some going with the flow of traffic, others not. Not to mention, having earphones in your ears and NO type of neon on clothing.
Is there something wrong with the a sidewalk, other than it not being level?
NO I am not speeding but having turn a corner and seeing human in the middle of the street well it is a bit of a distraction, ya know swerving NOT to kill you and all.
Just curious.
HH
May 23, 2013 at 8:29 am #790508
DFWParticipantCement is very hard on joints. Asphalt is a lot easier. That’s why I do it (not exclusively but on occasion). Also I have found that on hilly streets, the sidewalks tend to be more slippery than the streets.
May 23, 2013 at 1:39 pm #790509
anonymeParticipantIf I’m not mistaken, it’s only legal to walk/run in the street in the absence of sidewalks. Not sure about ‘distracted’ running (earbuds)…
May 23, 2013 at 2:13 pm #790510
BonnieParticipantA lot of runners I know prefer to run on the street because of the reason DFW said. I prefer the sidewalk because of safety.
May 23, 2013 at 2:42 pm #790511
velo_nutParticipantRunners should be licensed if they want to run on the road. I pay taxes Damn it, so should they.
May 23, 2013 at 4:18 pm #790512
SJoyParticipantAlso to all of our runners out there… please, please, please try not to run up behind people and their dogs. A dogs natural instinct is to chase you. Also if you surprise a dog they might lunge at you.
I have had too many situations where runners run past or up on myself and my dogs. We are working very hard at training our big dog but he gets spooked very easily and if I can’t see you coming, I can’t help avoid a bad situation.
May 23, 2013 at 6:11 pm #790513
TanDLParticipantGlad you brought this up, hammerhead. The other day I was driving a busy Ave and suddenly came upon a runner facing me as he ran toward me on my side of the street (with headphones), while I was trying to share the road with a bicycle, who was following the rules of the road. The bike had to swerve left to avoid the runner and I had to swerve left to avoid both of them and darn near crossed into oncoming traffic.
I know it might be easier to run on pavement, but could you possibly pick a less busy thoroughfare? There are neighborhood streets that get less traffic and jogging trails available, too.
May 23, 2013 at 6:34 pm #790514
cjboffoliParticipantRunning on compressed asphalt has little to no benefit to the joints versus running on concrete. I know a lot of runners believe this myth but the physics involved just don’t hold up. Your choice of shoes would have more of an impact (pun unintended) than your choice of running surface.
May 23, 2013 at 7:48 pm #790515
datamuseParticipantLOL velo_nut ;)
The only time I run in the street is when people don’t shovel their sidewalks. ;)
TanDL, I used to run on the many park trails we have in West Seattle, but after being growled at, chased, and in one case nipped by unleashed dogs, I gave it up. Sidewalks it is–at least there the dogs are (usually) leashed and I can see them in time to avoid the kind of situation SJoy describes.
May 23, 2013 at 7:52 pm #790516
JWParticipantI will run in the street at times in the early morning (residential only, to the side, no headphones) to avoid wet sidewalks. For whatever reason, Seattle built sidewalks out of the most slippery material possible, especially on hills. I’ve fallen on my behind many times. And oh, also to avoid overgrown yards, low branches, and dogs. And the occasional odd pedestrian who is creeping me out or a family of snarly raccoons. So, for quite a few reasons, actually. I do my best not to aggravate any drivers.
May 23, 2013 at 8:14 pm #790517
amaliaParticipantI have to disagree that asphalt vs concrete is a myth. My back (and those of many, many others) says differently.
May 23, 2013 at 11:28 pm #790518
twobottlesParticipantI see this all the time in North Admiral, in the part of the neighborhood with no hills and with streets of concrete rather than asphalt. I’ve even seen people running while pushing a baby stroller, right down the center of the street! Oh, and by the way, if there are sidewalks, walking or running in the street is illegal for (I hope) obvious reasons.
May 24, 2013 at 1:09 am #790519
WorldCitizenParticipantasphalt vs. concrete…I read an interesting analysis. Here it is:
“Here, once an for all, is the proof that running on asphalt
has no advantage over concrete, since they are both
at least a thousand times harder than your running shoe.
References:
http://www.chemcosystems.com/epoxy.html
http://physics.uwstout.edu/strength/tables/cyoungs.htm
Comp. modulus of elasticity, or Young’s modulus for materials:
Rubber (average) = .4 (k.p.s.i.)
Composite Asphalt = 380
Wood (compression along grain) = 1,500
Concrete = 4,500
Steel = 30,000
Using these numbers, this is the percentage of energy that is
absorbed by a rubber-based shoe running over each of
these surfaces:
Shoe Surface
Asphalt 99.89% 0.11%
Wood 99.97% 0.03%
Concrete 99.99% 0.01%
Steel >99.99% 0.001%
In running shoes, training on concrete is like adding one
extra stride’s worth of shock for every every thousand
strides that you would take on asphalt, or about one stride per mile.
Since the cushioning difference between any two shoe models
is much more that 0.01%, I submit that shoe choice, and not
surface choice, is the only thing that matters for injury prevention on hard surfaces.”
That’s a pretty compelling argument to me. I will say that I’m married to a marathoner/Ironman Triathlete and the idea still is very popular in the running community that asphalt is noticeably softer than concrete. May be a mental thing, but so much of running is a mental thing that this ingrained idea could be enough to make a difference for a lot of folks.
May 24, 2013 at 11:09 pm #790520
CaitParticipantIt’s unsafe. Don’t do it. It’s hard on joints either way, if you’re THAT worried about it run on a track.
May 25, 2013 at 6:16 am #790521
JanSParticipantand get regular massage…preventive maintenance…esp. for back pain, but also for healthy leg muscles
May 25, 2013 at 4:58 pm #790522
ErikParticipantThe surface you run on and the shoes you wear aren’t as important as how you land your feet. When you walk, landing on the heel is good. When running, a mid to fore foot landing is most efficient. You utilize the natural spring action of the calves and there is much less impact felt through the skeletal structure. If you heel strike while running, then your foot is landing in front of your center of gravity, the spring action Is negated, and the impact much greater.
Watch the winners of the last dozen or so Boston and NY Marathons, all East Africans, and how they use their feet.
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