As I think of it, trial running always gives me a feeling of being a bit wild and probably brings me as close to mother nature as I can get (being a city kid). This feeling is very satisfying and gives me the same joy every time. It’s probably the biggest reasons why I love to trail run.
Here are some other thoughts on why trail running is THE way to run:
1. You get dirty! Trail running makes you feel you’re alive and really puts your equipment to the test. 2. Trail running exercises your entire body, gives you balance training and the softer and varying surfaces makes it comfortable to run longer and more often. 3. There are always new trails to find and try out there. Every run can be different. 4. You do not need iPods, GPS devices, and heart rate monitors for the running exercise.
Trail running is about running in the forest, not setting a personal best. You don’t even need a watch to keep track of the time. Just run! Just so you know, there are mainly two different kinds of trail running. Geeks like me distinguishes between what we call technical and non-technical trails. The technical trails are usually narrow, dirty or on rocky paths that offers a bit of a challenge to the runner. Non-technical trails are paved, gravel, or dirt roads that are generally easy to run on.
What do you need to start:
– Shoes: Road shoes work fine for the first short runs in the woods. But soon you’ll need a pair of trail running shoes. Shoes that have a stronger, protective sole and stability than ordinary road shoes.
– Clothing: You should choose clothes with a tight fit and something that you don’t mind getting dirty or snagged.
– Water bottle: If you ar planning a longer run than one hour, you need to bring something to drink. A favorite among trail runners is the handheld water bottle, that straps to the hand and has additional pouches for things like keys, ID, and power bars. But you can also use the Camel-back or bottle belt. It is important to have both your hands free when you are out trail running in case you trip and fall.
– Other things (advanced): Headlamp or flashlight, towel, change of clothes and bug spray.
6 Steps for Your Trail Running start
1. Just start: You don’t need to complicate your trail running, just find yourself a trail and start running. There are of course different local groups of trail junkies who you can talk to and maybe even get out running together with. They’ll probably also know the best trails in your area and help you to get started.
2. Slow and easy: In the beginning you might get frustrated that you feel like your running slower than your used to do on asphalt. Keep in mind that when trail running, you run about 20{a3acb2be643effc4b7b4b3705df5cb2eae026059a1d075d54be8af4d92e7e619} slower than usually.
3. A bit different Slow down and take short, quick strides. If you’ll find nice trails with hills, jumps, obstacles and side-to-side movement, you need to shorten your strides so that your weight is over your feet, this allows you to react quicker and to maintain your balance during the run.
4. One step at a time running in the woods is most fun when you forget about pace and do whatever feels good. So if you feel like walking up a hill or trail it’s okay.
5. Look up The first couple of times you run you might have to remind yourself to look up a bit more than you usually do when you run on asphalt. This might feel odd, but if you trail run and look down on the trail all the times you kind of miss the whole point of being out running in the forest.
6. Cell Phone You should always bring a cell phone when running by yourself in case of emergency. Also, keep track of when the hunting season starts and where you shouldn’t run during this time.
