On-road / Off-road advice

[Wobbly]

Hi - I've been lurking for a while, and following the training logs , but this is my first post.

I wouldn't really disagree with anything you've said there andy, but I would also add that if you're carrying a fair bit of excess weight as many new runners are, then impact injuries are more likely to be a danger, so if 'glaconman' is overweight, he might be doing the right thing to stay off the roads.

A better reason to run on roads is if you're training for a particular event that takes place on the road, then you really should be running on a similar surface. If you do all your training on soft surfaces then do the race on a hard surface, you could be inviting a stress fracture.

Trouble is that it can be much more pleasant to run on soft surfaces cos you tend to find them in more appealing places like river paths, canal towpaths, woods, open countryside, fells etc. So I'd say don't exclude these more pleasant runs but make sure you are preparing your body for the race, and this would mean doing at least some road running. Which is pretty much what you said yourself, glaconman!

Good luck and well done on taking the plunge.