A standard track
Running enthusiasts can construct a track to measure runs, time themselves or merely to create a place to run. With a little determination and planning, you can run almost anywhere, but a track allows you to know how fast you're running and to prepare for timed, measured races. A track can look traditional or unconventional depending on where you live and how much land you have. Some are easier than others to construct.
Instructions
Construct a Backyard Track
1. Determine how much space you have available. Construct a standard 400-meter track if you live on a sizable plot of land. Consider a 100-meter track if you are limited in space. Be aware that any smaller size will create too much strain on your muscles and ligaments from sharp turns.
2. Measure the distance while marking points every 10 feet or so. Use a GPS unit if you have one, or a cloth measuring tape if your resources are limited. Construct straightaways at a little over 100 meters if you are constructing a 400-meter track.
3. Insert distance markers every 50 to 100 meters. Try nails, or use rocks if you have nothing else. Remove these if you decide to use spray-paint or a more permanent track surface later.
4. Construct the surface. Lay dirt, mow the grass, or spray-paint depending on what is available. Note that the flatter and less absorbent the surface, the better. Lay packed dirt, if possible. Make sure there are no rocks that runners might slip on. Consider asphalt as a running surface if you have access to it.
Construct a Neighborhood Track
5. Measure 400 meters on the surface you plan to use. Draw an oval for the inside lane with chalk or spray-paint.
6. Measure 1 foot out from the inside oval. Draw this line all the way around. Do this for as many lanes as you need. Note the inside oval and the outermost line.
7. Construct the surface out of packed dirt or asphalt. Pour the material inside the two ovals marked in step two.
8. Remeasure the lanes between the inside and outside oval.
9. Spray-paint the lines to mark the lanes. Spray-paint a line perpendicular to the lanes on one of the straightaways for the starting line.
Tags: 400-meter track, Construct surface, inside oval, line Construct, packed dirt