AleisterCrowley wrote:It seems to be generally agreed that running on hard surfaces is 'not good for the joints' and that decent trainers can help.
In the unlikely event I tried running again, most of my route is tarmac until I get down to the River Kennet, then it's grass towpath
sg31 wrote:If you are running on soft surfaces like grass you can get away with normal trainers but pounding the roads does jar.
I'm actually doing some barefoot running. Oftentimes on smooth tarmac. But that's on rural country droves in the Fens, i.e. no drive ways and kerbs, with very very infrequent (sometimes zero) traffic.
Sometimes I'm barefoot on grass, and firm peat in the woods too. Barefoot on smooth tarmac is fine. You don't get the jarring since your style adjusts to one of minimalised pain and hence impact. FWIW I'll be 52 in a few months.
Of course I wouldn't run a marathon like that. Indeed I doubt I'll ever bother training for a marathon. Doing about 12 - 14k or so suits me fine. I don't really have any target agenda, other than keeping fit and enjoying the buzz.