On nearly any day of the year, if you head down to Bondi beach, your are likely to see at least one person running along the sand next to the the promenade. To those who have never run on the sand, it looks like a slow and easy shuffling jog, but in reality there are some major challenges going on in that persons body and mind. I seen many people give it a go and given up after 500m. However, if you are someone who "enjoys" the experience of pushing your limits, its a fantastic way to get your fix.
What is soft sand running?
Well it kind of speaks for it self, but it's any form of running on dry sand that allows your feet to sink in at least at least 2 cm or more. It may be on flat terrain or over dunes.
Why do it?
I started soft sand running as cross training for Mountain Biking. It a really good way to compress training into a short window. 30 minutes is about equivalent in effort to running for 50 minutes on a hard surface. It also reduces the impact due to the damping effect of the sand. For someone like me who struggles with running related injuries, its a great alternative. In fact right now I am unable to run on hard surfaces due to a ligament injury in my foot, but I don't have any issues on the sand. Runners might also find it beneficial as strength and endurance training.
Another great thing about soft sand running is that you get to cool off in the ocean afterwards, unless your crazy enough to run in the dessert.
How to get started
Soft sand running is extremely tough on the skin, the muscles of the feet and the calves. Any one new to soft sand running must build up to it over time. The correct form is to "grip" the sand with your toes, which works your feet really hard. You also should land on you forefoot so as to dig your feet in. This work the calves. If you are already a forefoot striker, you have the advantage of strong calves and you will be able to progress quicker.
If you are a fit runner, you will have to hold back, starting with about 25% of your normal running distance. Those who have moderate fitness might only manage 1 km to start with. Either way you are most likely to experience sore muscles and feet. You might want to stay with your starting distance for more than a week while you get over the initial stiffness. There after progress by adding 10% to your distance each week.
Another way so progress is over a 2 week cycle. For me this works better as I am getting up to 2:30 hours on my long runs. It becomes hard to do this once a week, especially since I also cycle, swim and do core strength training. So I do my long run every second week and to stick to short and medium distance runs in between. Obviously your actual distance will differ depending how far you have progressed and what your goals are. At this point for me a short run is 5km, medium 10km and long is 21km. I generally do endurance training on the sand, but it also excellent for intervals.
Technique
Most people will naturally run correctly on the sand, however there are some tips that I can give you that will help. I try to keep my technique as close to good mid-foot strike running form as possible. Naturally the soft sand changes some aspects, but the basics are the same.
Keep your body in a straight line. Don't hunch forward. Then lean the whole body forward slightly. Run with short steps keeping your cadence to around 180 steps/min. I often see people who stretch their stride on the sand. Many of them are good runners and it seems to work for them. However if you are like me, and tend to have knee problems, short strides will protect you knees. Make sure that your foot drops directly down with your lower leg "hanging" from your knee, as opposed to reaching forward. This is the single most important thing you can do to protect your knees.
Finally, land on your mid-foot with your toes pointing down. This will absorb impact and let you feet dig in for grip. Grab the sand with your toes to get extra grip. It will be really hard of the small muscles in you feet and it will take time to build foot strength and to harden the skin to the abrasion.
