When our Calgary Store ambassador, Andrea Rice hits the shore for a beach run she ditches her hair tie, tunes, shoes and inhibitions.

andrea’s recipe for a perfect beach run

set your pony tail free
Seriously, just do it! Ditch the elastic, the headband and the bobby pins and let your hair run wild as you hit the sand. Whether it's been stuffed into a toque (Canadian-speak for hat) all winter long or simply pulled away from your face for a long, long time, nothing says freedom like letting the mane blow in the breeze while you're footing it through the sand. It will feel awesome.

sink your toes into the sand
Barefoot running is all the rage right now but for those of us not quite ready to hit the pavement naked, beach running is a great sampler. The first couple of times you hit the beach barefoot, cut down your distance and duration to see how it feels. Running on a soft surface like sand will call upon the muscles in your feet, legs and core to work a little harder. Post-run, expect to be a little sore in few new places. Remember not to push your body through any physical pain – test the waters but ultimately do what feels right for you. If barefoot ain’t your thing, bring your sneakers to the beach with you.

ditch the watch
You won’t run as fast as you do on the pavement but every second of beach running will be time very well spent. It's a nice way to remember that running is awesome just for the sake of running.

leave the tunes behind
Unplug from your headphones and listen to the waves crashing, the birds chirping and the people playing. How refreshing to run with a true awareness of your surroundings. Let your body fall into the rhythm of the natural soundtrack.

dive in
What better way to finish off a run on the beach than to go for a swim! The best part of running on the beach is that sweet, sweet, plunge into the ocean to cool off.  Enjoy it! After all, you earned it!

For those of us living in the frosty north, there’s a very small window to enjoy the warmer temps that summer will bring. How do you infuse your workouts with a little summer love?

No, Tess is not auditioning for the role of Cinderella. Cinderella had the good sense to at least keep one shoe on. And no, she hasn’t forgotten her shoes at home.  In her preparation for the New York marathon, Tess recently embarked on a barefoot training regime. That’s correct – She's willingly elected to go running with naked feet.

Barefoot running is a hot topic in the world of runners right now. The debate between barefoot running, zero drop shoes (shoes where the forefoot and the heel are at the same level) and traditional (raised-heel) shoes rages on. So, when my coach asked me if I would be willing to try doing some of my track warm-ups barefoot, I jumped at the chance…and then immediately wondered what I had gotten myself into.

injury prevention or cause

I have battled IT Band issues my entire running career and a large part of the problem stems from the fact that I have weak feet. The theory behind barefoot running is that standard running shoes actually offer our feet unnecessary support and by removing the shoes, we teach our feet to stand (and run) on their own. Devotees of the practice also claim it to be an excellent tool for teaching your body proper running form – landing with a mid-foot strike rather than a heel strike which means lower impact on joints – while opponents claim that the continuous pounding without protection will only set you up for injury.

the mid-foot strike

If you’re doing it correctly, your foot will hit the ground almost directly under your hip, making it easy for you to bring the foot back and have the heel just barely graze the ground. It should also be markedly quieter than when you run with a heel strike. I sometimes feel as though I’m doing my very best Godzilla impression when I start running with my heels down first.

what devotees and opponents are saying

• Pro – strengthens under-used muscles in the feet
• Pro – naturally promotes good form
• Pro – good form means fewer injuries and faster race times

• Con – repeated pavement pounding without support can lead to overstress and injury
• Con – feet exposed to the elements could become injured by objects on the ground
• Con – Not enough research has been performed to prove that it prevents injuries

take it slow

One of the most important things to know is that you have to ease into it (um, isn’t there some line about learning to walk before you run?) I only ran 400 meters and my feet felt like they got a workout. Take it slowly so your body has time to adapt and you don’t wind up sidelining yourself. And, while I may not ever take on my beloved 26.2 mile distance shoeless, I will continue to spend part of my training free of my shoes and spend the time when I'm shod wearing zero drop racing flats. It’s earned me a new nickname from the boys at the track – “Foot Nudist”.

They say, "don’t knock it ’til you try it" but for some people the idea of going shoeless just doesn't add up. Are shoe-wearers being over-sensitive or are 'foot-nudists' a pack of heavily calloused idealists?

want more

• not convinced? How to find a good running shoe.
• the ABCs of running.
• don't go further than bare feet.