This post contains affiliate links.
When I first got into running track there were lots of ‘what ifs’ that flooded my mind. What if I’m not fast enough? What if I’m not as agile as the other runners, what if it’s too hard? Safe to say, I got over these issues as I began to push on with the task at hand. But sometimes I still find myself wondering, exactly how hard is it to start track running as a beginner?
Track running may come very easily to some beginners and significantly harder to others. Factors such as your previous experience, your level of fitness, and the goals you’re setting yourself can all determine exactly how hard you will find track running.
With the above in mind, I decided to get the opinion of other runners as well as look at some of the factors that can make it harder as well as easier to run track.
What Runners Think
To find out what the runners think about the difficulty of running track, I headed onto an online track running forum and created a poll asking runners to weigh in. 225 runers voted. The results are in.
| Choice | Vote |
| Starting Track Running is Hard | 53 (23.6%) |
| Starting Track Running is Easy | 45 (20%) |
| It Depends on Your Current Experience | 127 (56.4%) |
Looking at the data above, it seems that the majority of runners think that it depends on your current experience. Some of the runners who voted had this to say:
“It completely depends on you’re current experience, if you’re starting from zero it’s going to be hard, worth it but hard. If you have an athletic/weightlifting background it’ll make it easier, like any other sport it’ll still be hard just not as.”
TheLivingVampire24
“I think it depends on your fitness level. A football or soccer player can more easily jump into track than someone that hasn’t been in a sport before.”
Inmate_34667
“It depends on a lot of things. Football wideouts will likely have a pretty easy time joining sprints. People who train in the gym explosively and who have the genetics for speed will have no problem starting events like the 100m/LJ. But a average, skinny guy will likely have some difficulty, and will probably have to take 2-3 months just to get in shape. I know a guy who started out not being able to do a warmup lap. 3 years later, he now runs 1:59. So it can take time.”
User74914
Factors That Make Track Running Hard
Many factors might make track running slightly more difficult for you when you’re getting started. The following are just a few examples
Weight
It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise. But body weight can have a significant impact on how hard it is to run on a track. Simply put, if you have more muscle or fat you will need to make more effort to move from point A to point B.
According to Enetor.com, a study was done in the 1970s that attempted to measure exactly how much of an impact weight could have on running. Scientists did this by Adding harnesses to run as they increase their weight by as much as 5%, 10%, and 15%. Scientists then watched the subjects run for 12 minutes before then measuring them without any weights added at all. The study concluded that weights could slow you down by as much as 1.4 seconds per pound.
This means that if you are 10 lbs heavier than someone you are competing against, the weight alone could cause you to finish 14 seconds later.
By the way, if the reason that you got into running track was to lose weight, I’ve written an entire article about that which you can find here.
New To Running
If you just started running in general and were wondering whether or not you’d be any good at track, it’s important to remember that on top of learning the basic rules of track running such as form, workout routines and track etiquette, you would also need to learn all of the basics of running in general.
According to aapitv it can take as much as 3 months for a new runner to start progressing. However, if you are brand new to running don’t let this put you off. This will only be a difficulty if you’re trying to compete against experienced runners straight away. Before doing so, consider factors such as how long the average person can run without stopping (see this article) and what are the top foods for runners (see this article).
Recently Injured
If you recently picked up a nasty injury and are trying to get into training it is not only going to be hard but also potentially problematic. Starting track running after a long period of rest following an injury could often feel similar to starting as a complete novice because you’ve not been able to keep your body up to scratch.
What’s more, track runners generally either sprint or run at a fast pace on a running track which could exacerbate your injury even more so that if you were doing something like road running. Typical injuries such as runner’s knee, plantar fasciitis, and shin splints could all become worse if you’re trying to run on a track whilst suffering from them.
If you’re interested in learning more about running for injury and managing pain check out this article I wrote.
Poor Diet
I’m sure you’ve heard of the common phrase “you are what you eat”. Make no mistake if you eat low-quality foods it will make running track significantly harder for you. We’ve already spoken about the difference that weight gain can make in running. So if you’re eating high-calorie, low nutrient foods, you need to be especially careful that any weight you put on doesn’t impact your speed.
In addition to the issues surrounding weight, a poor diet can also leave you feeling sluggish, slow and unmotivated. According to this study, eating junk food for as little as a week or so can result in your body having a harder time processing the food into glucose, which is the main source of energy used for running track.
Body Type
I’ve actually written an entire article about the impacts that body types can have on runing track. You can find the article here. In this article, I set out to ask runners if they thought body types such as endomorphs, ectomorphs, and mesomorphs can have any impact on a track runners ability.
Out of the 248 runners who voted, more than 73% agreed that there isn’t an ideal body type for track. So this shouldn’t be a problem for too many people.
That being said, the body type people have can make them better at some types of track running than others. For example, Endomorphs typically have flat feet but can easily gain muscle, so are more suited for sprinting. On the other hand, ectomorphs are long and thin, which makes them great for long distances but they potentially find it difficult to sprint with little muscle.
Uncoordinated
When you’re running track, you’re generally running in an enclosed space. If you lack coordination and agility, you’re going to have a difficult time staying in your lane as well as navigating the twists and turns at top speed.
This study from Frontiers in Physiology looked into what made a sprint start effective when it comes to racing on track. After monitoring a group of 20 sprinters and a controlled group of 35 mastered physical education students, the study confirmed that in addition to the muscle strength a runner has in their legs, the most appropriate aspect of a sprint start is appropriate motor coordination.
Simply put, coordination can have an especially big impact on track runners who are running competitively.
Lack of Knowledge
This ties hand in hand with being new to running and deciding to take on track. Without proper knowledge of things like track etiquette, nutrition and the basic rules of track racing, you’ll find it significantly harder to get into the swing of things.
I could write an entire book to help educate you on everything you need to know for track running. But to get you started, why not check out this article I wrote on how to get better at track.
You can also check out the video below from the guys at The Running Experience:
Factors That Make Track Running Easy
In addition to factors that make running track difficult, there are also things that can make running track significantly easier than running in other areas such as roads or trials.
Agility
Runners who are agile and able to move around courses with ease should have no trouble at all in running track.
When it comes to track running, agility is especially important because it is said to help improve and reduce the risk of injury. This is because a runner who has a lot of agility capability is less likely to break posture or form when running so that the bones and muscles can slip out of the correct alignment.
If that wasn’t enough, agility can also improve overall finish times for track runners. The reason for this is that the more agile and responsive you are on a running track, the less likely you are to slip or stumble and finish late.
Good at Distance Running
There’s no denying that all different kinds of running can complement each other in one way or another and the concept of distance running is no different.
If you’ve been distance running in an environment outside of a track it can help increase your chances of finishing a race with a great time. Distance running can help support track running because it allows runners to maintain a speed for a long period. Furthermore, there are many races that are deemed as long distances on tracks. So if you’ve been running long distances for a while, it would be easy to make the switch to track running.
If you want to learn more about long-distance and track running check out this article I wrote about running 5K race track.
Sprinting Ability
There’s no denying that sprinting is one of the biggest parts of track running. The faster you can run in general, the faster you can expect to run on a track. Sprinting is imperative to improving speed and power on a running track. So if you haven’t been practicing your sprinting already, trying speed-based workouts such as the one below is a great place to start.
Road Running
If you’re looking to get good at track running but don’t have access to a track then road running can be the best environment for improving your track running ability. Generally speaking, a road has the most similar surface to a running track. Unlike running tracks, roads come with a number of obstacles and areas that you need to navigate around. This is something that could help improve your agility.
If you’d like to know more about running check out this complete guide that I wrote.
Strength
You might not think about this at first but strength training is crucial when it comes to track running.
In addition to a good level of agility, strength training is also something that can be great for reducing the chances of injury when track running and make it substantially easier. By correcting muscle imbalances, strength training can reduce the chance of poor form and also help us to run much more efficiently. So it isn’t something that should be skipped.
If you’re looking to start strength training to improve your track running performance then I would recommend doing compound movements that primarily target the legs. Examples include squats and deadlifts but you can also have a go at the bodyweight exercises including the video below.
How To Make Track Running Easier
Although there are always going to be challenges when it comes to running track, there are a number of things you can do to make running easier. This article I wrote for 9 top tips for getting better at running track is a great place to start but there are also so a number of things you can below that should give you a head start.
Get A Running Buddy
When it comes to motivating yourself to run track it can be difficult at times to push yourself to keep going. This is where a running buddy can come in. Having somebody help you to keep the pace and also hold you accountable if you ever miss a run or feel unmotivated can be excellent for keeping up a routine.
Having someone to talk to you when running can also help you keep a decent pace. You can learn more about talking when running here.
Study the Sport
Without a proper understanding of track running it’s likely you’ll start the sport missing a few things. Whilst I hope this article has done enough to address whether or not track running is hard, it’s also crucial to educate yourself on all of the ins and outs of track running. Examples include watching some of the greatest track athletes of all time and how they race as well as getting into some of the basics such as track etiquette and fuelling.
Get The Right Gear
One of the things that I love so much about running is that you don’t need a lot of gear to get started. That being said if you really want to get good at running, then the items below can be great at helping you with that.
