The Hazards of Running Indoors

         As the track season starts, many of us in the Midwest are still dealing with near freezing temperature and an ever-present cover of snow on the grass. Due to this slightly less-than-comfortable weather, it makes it difficult to run outside on the track most days. When this is the case, most teams are stuck training indoors and running through the halls, which at first can seem kind of like you are committing a crime considering you have been told from the time you could recite the alphabet that it was bad to run in school. Running inside might not seem that different from running outside, but the hard concrete under your feet indoors generates a much larger impact on your joints than running on a trail or the pavement will. This extra impact can cause knee and ankle problems if too much time is spent indoors on sensitive knees, therefor it is important that one is careful as they bound their way down the hallway. Such preventative measures include making sure that your running shoes are well taken care of so that the sole can do its job and absorb some of the impact, and being cognizant that you are using proper form. This will help you keep from slapping your feet too much or locking your knees. 

          You might think that running indoors will prevent you from falling, given that you do not have to worry about slipping on ice or tripping over snow, but there are several exclusively indoor hazards that come into play that might make you need to take a second to reconsider whether it is too icy out or not. The glimmering floors of most schools and businesses, although gum imprinted and smudge marked, are very slippery when you consider that students track water into the school and the surface beneath your feet is very smooth. These components plus the extra impact that running causes creates the perfect environment for slipping. In addition, when running inside there is not a clear path to follow, so you end up heaving to dodge janitors with brooms and teachers carrying boxes of tests to grade that night. Every corner you turn is a fresh opportunity for a collision, and every room you pass has the promise of opening the moment you pass and hitting you. 

          So though it is clear that running inside can have its benefits, these are just a few things that one should keep in mind before deciding that running the halls is always a full-proof answer to the wintry outdoors.