• Injury prevention: running all your marathon training on hard surfaces increases the amount of force put through your joints and muscles. Running off-road, on grass or trails, alleviates the stress on the body and means you’re less likely to incur over-use injuries.
• Relieve boredom: there’s no denying that training can become repetitive. Running on different surfaces can help inject some variety into your training.
• See the world: discovering new routes is part of the enjoyment of running. By venturing onto woodland paths, coastal trails or seaside lanes, you’ll find new routes that will make your runs a voyage of discovery.
• Getting away from it all: many people like to use their running as ‘me’ time, to put the troubles of the world behind them and ‘detox’ from the rigours of life. Running away from busy roads and populated paths helps relieve stress (although for both men and women there’s a point here to be raised about safety. Always let someone know where you going and carry some form of identification).
• Injury prevention: yes, we’ve said it already, but don’t underestimate the potential for injury if all your runs are done on hard surfaces.
