How do you run on the beach?

A run along the shore at the start of a summer morning is one of the great small luxuries: the sea on one side, the umbrellas still folded, a swim waiting at the end. It is also a different sport from running on a pavement, and it rewards a little planning.

Wet sand or dry sand?

The difference is enormous, and you will feel it within ten strides.

• Firm damp sand near the water's edge, especially just after the tide has gone out, packs down into something close to a smooth path. This is where most beach running happens.
• Soft dry sand further up the beach swallows every stride. It is slow, hard work and great fun in short bursts, like a dash to the water, but tiring for a long run.
• The slope. Many beaches tilt towards the sea. Running one way along a sloping beach means one foot is always lower than the other, so run out and back, so each side gets its turn, or look for the flattest band of sand.

Shoes or barefoot?

Both work, and the beach usually decides for you.

• Barefoot feels wonderful on smooth, clean, firm sand. Start with short stretches, because your feet and calves are doing work that shoes usually do for them. Watch for shells, rocks, glass and anything washed up.
• Shoes make sense on longer runs, on beaches with shells or pebbles, and when the sand is hot. Older running shoes are ideal, since sand and salt are not kind to new ones. Shake them out often; sand inside a shoe is a blister in waiting.

Whichever you choose, pebble beaches are best walked rather than run. Your ankles will thank you.

Keep it short at first

Sand moves under you, so every stride asks your feet, ankles and calves for a little more control than a pavement does. Expect to cover less distance in the same time and to feel it the next day if you overdo it. A good first beach run might be twenty minutes out and back on firm sand, with a swim or a walk afterwards. Build from there.

Tides, heat and the sea

The sea is the part of beach running that deserves real respect.

• Check the tide times before you go. Official water-safety advice, such as the London Fire Brigade's beach safety guidance, warns that walkers along the shore can be cut off by an incoming tide. Run when the tide is going out, and turn back early if the water is creeping up.
• Know your way off the beach. Note where the steps, paths and exits are before you set off, especially on beaches backed by cliffs.
• Follow local signs, flags and lifeguards. Warning flags mean different things in different countries; learn what they mean where you are. Our page on beach warning flags explains the common ones.
• Mind the heat. The beach at midday has no shade and a lot of reflected sun. Run early or late, take water and see our notes on exercising in hot weather.

Make it a beach morning

The best beach runs end in the water. Run out along the shore, turn at a landmark, come back and swim, if swimming is allowed and the sea is calm. Then breakfast. If the beach has a volleyball net or a bocce patch, the morning may well get away from you, which is the point of a beach.