From the NY Times online…
For Runners, Soft Ground Can Be Hard on the Body
By GINA KOLATA
Published: July 18, 2011
Hirofumi Tanaka, an exercise physiologist at the University of Texas at Austin, bristles when he sees dirt paths carved out of the grass along paved bicycling or running routes. The paths are created by runners who think softer ground protects them from injuries.
Dr. Tanaka, a runner, once tried it himself. He was recovering from a knee injury, and an orthopedist told him to stay away from hard surfaces, like asphalt roads, and run instead on softer surfaces, like grass or dirt. So he ran on a dirt path runners had beaten into the grass along an asphalt bike path.
The result? “I twisted my ankle and aggravated my injury while running on the softer and irregular surface,” he said.
Read on here.
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