When you’re beginning or deepening a running therapy practice, the ground beneath your feet matters more than most people realize. Different surfaces—from concrete to trails—can affect your joints, recovery time, injury risk, and even your emotional regulation.
This article offers insights to help you make informed, body-aware choices. Rather than ranking surfaces as “good” or “bad,” we’ll explore how each one interacts with your body, mind, and nervous system—so you can choose what’s best for your recovery and goals.
Want to explore more? See also:
• Running Therapy for Trauma Recovery
• Beginner’s Guide: 9 Running Therapy Tips to Feel Better, Faster
💡 Bonus: Check out the final section for a quick look at the therapeutic benefits of icing.
City Running: Understanding Concrete and Asphalt
In engineering, the Mohs hardness scale is used to measure how hard a material is—ranging from 1 (soft, like talc) to 10 (extremely hard, like diamond). In running therapy, this scale can help you understand the impact stress different surfaces place on your body.
Two of the most common surfaces you’ll encounter in city running are concrete and asphalt.
Concrete: The Hardest Surface You’ll Run On
Concrete ranks between 6 and 7 on the Mohs scale, making it the hardest surface I’ve ever run on. Concrete surfaces can create noticeable impact stress on joints, such as the knees and hips, especially during longer runs or consecutive days of running.
Even though it’s not ideal, I often choose sidewalks because they’re safer for running with my dog. And if you’re running near the beach, many boardwalks are also made of concrete. If you start noticing knee pain or joint soreness while running in these environments, it could be a result of the surface—not necessarily your shoes or form.
🔍 If you’re new to running therapy and experiencing discomfort, track where you’ve been running—surface matters more than most people realize.
Asphalt: A Softer Surface with a Few Surprises
Compared to concrete, asphalt is noticeably easier on the body. It ranks around 1.3 on the Mohs hardness scale, making it significantly softer and more forgiving for your joints.
Asphalt is the black surface used on most roads. It’s made with a combination of aggregates and oil, which not only makes it more durable and water-resistant, but also helps absorb more impact than cement.
If you’re running on city or country roads, here’s one thing to watch out for: Roads are designed to drain water toward the edges, so the surface you’re running on is slightly sloped. Over time, that can affect your gait and may lead to imbalances if you’re always running on the same side.
💡 Here’s a helpful post from Hill Runner that uses a hammer analogy to compare the feel of asphalt vs. concrete. Simple, but effective.
I was surprised to learn this topic is debated in running communities. If you’re curious about the biomechanics of different surfaces, check out this in-depth article from Slowtwitch covering absorption rates and running efficiency on various materials. Asphalt is about 1.3 on the Mohs scale. It is the black material that roads are made out of, and oil is used to make it impermeable. This also helps to make it softer, more durable, and easier on the joints than cement. If you run on country or city roads, be aware that car lanes are typically designed to drain water to the road’s edge, so you are running on an uneven surface.
Track and Field Running Therapy (High School)
High school tracks and fields can be some of the best places to start or revisit running therapy. They’re accessible, lower impact, and often come with built-in memories of team sports or gym class. But not all surfaces are created equal—and even on a track or field, how and where you run can make a big difference.
Running on Tracks: Softer, But Not Always Simple
Most high school tracks are made from recycled tire rubber or gravel, both of which offer significantly less impact than concrete or asphalt. If you’re fortunate enough to live near a school that opens its track to the public, it’s a great place for low-impact, consistent-surface running.
Be a Good Guest: Run the Outer Lanes
Tracks often have signs with posted rules. One courtesy to follow: use the outside lanes. The inner lanes are used most during track meets and wear down faster. Using outer lanes helps preserve the facility and is often more respectful to athletes in training.
Track Distance and Body Balance
If you’re using laps to track distance, remember that outer lanes are longer. One lap in lane one is 400 meters, but if you’re running in lane six or eight, you’re covering significantly more ground per lap.
In high school, we eventually started running in the opposite direction (clockwise) to balance out the repetitive curve strain on our bodies. The theory: one leg travels slightly farther around curves when you always run counterclockwise, and over time this can create muscle imbalances.
🧠 Personally, I noticed it most in my arm and shoulder—my right side felt like it was pulling harder on curves. Mentally, running the opposite direction was awkward, but physically, it made me feel more aligned.
Running on Fields: Natural vs. Artificial Surfaces
Natural Grass Infields
Natural infields—like football or soccer fields—are uneven due to weather and games. That variability engages your stabilizer muscles, which makes it great for cross-training—but it comes with some caution.
We often used grass infields for dynamic warm-ups, and some teammates would get shin splints just from that. These were more common in sprinters, who spend more time on the balls of their feet.
Shin splints occur when the shin muscle begins to pull away from the shin bone, causing pain. While icing can temporarily relieve this, it’s not a long-term solution.
Astroturf
Artificial turf fields feel very different than grass. I haven’t trained on turf extensively, but based on what I’ve felt, Astroturf is firmer and less forgiving than natural grass. The traction and surface consistency are good—but you lose the shock absorption that grass provides.
Trail Running Therapy
Trail running offers some of the most therapeutic movement experiences—especially for those looking to protect their joints or disconnect from the noise of the city. But with that peace comes a bit of unpredictability.
Natural trails are full of surprises—roots, rocks, soft ground dips, and erosion are common features. These unpredictable elements are sometimes called ‘ankle grabbers’ in trail running communities, as they can catch the foot unexpectedly and increase the risk of minor sprains if footing is not carefully maintained.
The Benefit: Softer on the Body, Clearer for the Mind
Despite the hazards, dirt and clay surfaces are much softer and more forgiving than concrete or asphalt. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve felt the difference in my knees and hips almost immediately—trail running just feels better on the body.
🌿 Bonus benefit: Trails usually have better air quality than city streets. You’re not breathing in exhaust fumes, and you’re often surrounded by trees, fresh air, and stillness.
If you’re looking for both physical relief and mental clarity, trails can be one of the most rewarding surfaces for running therapy.
Ankle Sprain Care for Running Therapy
Trail running comes with natural terrain—and natural risks. One of the most common injuries, especially on uneven ground, is an ankle sprain. Depending on the severity, a sprain can sometimes be more painful and limiting than a break. I’ve had to use crutches more than once after rolling an ankle out on the trail.
If you’re adding trail runs to your therapy routine, it’s worth knowing how to care for a sprain right away. The gold-standard method is the RICE protocol:
RICE: The 4-Part Formula for Treating Sprains
RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate. It’s simple, effective, and—if applied immediately—can reduce the severity and speed up recovery.
Rest
Right after the injury, take a breath and gather yourself.
Minimize movement and stay off the injured ankle as much as possible.
During healing, stick to light duty only to allow proper tissue repair.
Ice
Apply ice as soon as possible.
In case of an ankle sprain on the trail, standing in a cold creek or stream can quickly cool and numb the area, making it easier to return safely.
Why it works:
Icing throughout recovery helps keep inflammation down
Cold contracts tissues, which reduces blood flow and swelling
It pushes out excess fluid and toxins from the area
Compression
Keep your shoe on right after injury—don’t loosen it.
This provides instant compression and helps limit swelling.
For ongoing support, wear a brace or compression wrap during healing. This will stabilize the ankle and help reduce day-to-day inflammation.
Elevate
Keep the ankle above your heart as soon as possible.
Elevation makes it harder for blood to pool at the injury site, which helps:
- Reduce swelling
- Improve drainage
- Move toxins away from the affected area
💡 Gravity is your friend here. The higher the ankle, the faster the recovery.
BONUS: The Mental Health Benefits of Icing
Icing isn’t just about physical recovery. Over time, I discovered that icing my ankles and shins each night became a mental practice—a kind of nervous system training that supported deeper healing.
Much like cold plunging or the bilateral stimulation used in EMDR therapy, placing your body in a controlled, safe discomfort can help reprogram how your nervous system responds to stress.
❄️ Icing became a way for me to gently desensitize my system—to teach it that not every sensation of discomfort meant danger.
Night after night, learning to tolerate the cold on my shins helped me build resilience. It trained my nervous system to stay calm in the presence of intensity—whether physical or emotional. In that way, this small act became a powerful part of minimizing the long-term effects of trauma and supporting my overall emotional regulation.
Run Where You Can, Heal Where You Are
There’s no single “best” surface for running therapy—it depends on your fitness level, injury history, emotional needs, and the environment you have access to. Not everyone has a track nearby or a trail down the road, and that’s okay. What matters most is understanding how different surfaces affect your body, so you can make informed, supportive choices with what’s available.
I’ve been a runner for over 25 years—through childhood, college athletics, and solo trail miles across the country. If you have questions about how to adapt this guidance to your situation or want support navigating unique challenges, I’d be honored to help. Just reach out or drop a comment—this path is yours to make, and you don’t have to walk (or run) it alone.
