“The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.”
― John Muir
As a sport, Trail Running is perhaps one of the most purest pursuits we have
on Earth. It connects us with our primitive past; to a time before our ancestors
had the need for tarmac and pavement. It is as natural a pastime as one can
find in the modern age. It’s just you under your own power, against the
challenges of nature. No wonder then that Trail Running for many is not
considered a sport, but rather a life long pursuit.
For most of us here, including myself, we come with a love of running long
distances. We all share similar motivations to run; it could be the
companionship and camaraderie, or striving for personal goals and improved
performance. And I’m pretty safe in saying that most of us started our running
journey as I did with road running. I remember the first time a friend took me
out for a trail run. It opened up a new chapter to, not just of my running, but of
my life.
About 3 years ago, I made the best decision of my life. I decided to shift my
running focus from road running to trail running. It also coincided with a
change of residency from the city to the Blue Mountains; mainly due to my
Western Sydney work location but I’d be lying if the access to the trails didn’t
have a major part of the decision as well. Moving from road running to trail
running was a refreshing change for me as it will be for you mothers who are
seeking the next challenge in your running journeys. It could simply be that
you want to experience, for what feels to many, a completely different
sport. However, there are a few things that will change and a few things you
should expect and it’s important to be prepared. The environment, terrain,
attitude of participants and overall feel are very, very different.
The environment
It’s pretty safe to say that trail running takes in some pretty stunning locations
and scenery. From the mountains in the Alps of France to the deserts of
America and everything in between runners have found trails or created trails
to do what we love to do. Here in the Blue Mountains we have some
awesome trail networks and no two trails are ever the same. It is this variety
that lures us continuously back. With this come its challenges. The terrain and
surface is always changing. Here in the Blue Mountains we have wide fire
trails, to tricky ‘technical’ single track; flat trails to incredibly mountainous and
everything in between. There is a constant change of scenery but it is this that
we love. Being in nature is a remarkable destressor, and getting away from
the noise, cars and bustle of the streets can have a cleansing and positive
psychological affect.
Technique
Here’s some good news ladies! Running on trails can burn much more
calories. Now who’s ever going to complain about that? There’s a couple of
reasons. As mentioned above, trails generally take in a lot more elevation
gain (uphill running ‘climbing’) than road running and this forces us to work
harder more often than road running. Hence, the energy and fitness demands
of trail running are higher, especially in longer, more difficult events.
The other calorie burning reason is the unevenness of the ground. In road
running, our muscles tend to have one purpose; to propel us forward. In trail
running, they have a couple of other purposes; to stabilise the body and to
maneuver us over and around obstacles. Trail running is the ultimate pump
class as it involves not just running, but lunging up over rocks, dodging and
weaving over trail to avoid the myriad of obstacles trails throw at us, stepping
up over uneven bush steps and running down steep gradients has eccentric
loading affects on our muscles that road running rarely touches. Yes you will
be sore in places you’ve never been sore before after your first trail run. But
don’t worry, your body always adapts and the more you do trail running, the
more conditioned you become to the rigors of it.
Be prepared to get dirty in a trail run! Yes, even the ‘experts’ can find puddles!
Our technique on the trail is also much different and the reason why many
people often say their mind is as tired as their body after a trail run. We have
to constantly scan the trail for potential trip hazards; slippery surfaces mud
puddles and debris to find the safest way of travel. We look down more often
than ahead, and we pick up our feet and our legs go through a much broader
range of motions. I describe running over technical trail more like ‘dancing’
than running. We talk about having a ‘flow’ over the trail rather than a rhythm.
Our arms are used not just for propulsion, but are often outstretched for
greater balance, we sink in our knees for shock absorption, and we lean into
corners. As your trail running experiences widen, so will the skill sets that go
with it. Having an experienced running partner, mentor or coach to give you
some pointers can be very beneficial in your beginning stages.
Pacing
Going out for a tempo run holding 5:10 splits on the trails? Forget about it!
The terrain paces you, not the other way around like would be the case on the
road. It is much easier to have in your mind an ‘effort’ level that you wish to
maintain rather than even splits. Even when we walk up hills (another big
change from road running and very much part of trail running), it’s always
good to have in the back of your mind this level of effort you wish to be
exerting. As such, rarely do trail runners use a watch for any other purpose
than knowing the time of day! PBs are also almost non-existent in the trail
running world.
Running Mum Melanie enjoying the finish of the half marathon at Southern Highlands Challenge
The Gear
Good news again ladies! Trail running also requires a different range of
clothing and gear. As you will be out for the majority of time away from
civilization and in the fast changing elements of nature, it’s important to be
prepared. For starters, a good pair of trail running shoes is a worthy
investment. Trail running shoes protect your feet and toes from trauma better
than road running shoes and they also tend to have better grip and offer
better feel for the ground or ‘proprioception’. Also consider wearing a light
jacket, gloves, hat or long pants. The ‘capri’ style pants I hear are very
popular (and not just with ladies, at least from this trail runners point of view!).
Being miles away from home also means that on your longer trail runs you
have to carry all your water and food, a phone, or even a map. So this
requires a pack or running vest of some sort. There are many good hydration
belts, handheld bottles and packs on the market all for different purposes and
distances.
The People
It’s hard not to love the trail running community. The stereotype that we are all
laid back, vegan, bearded greenies is far from the truth (although there’s a
few of them around!). In reality we are just like you and me, hardworking,
motivated people with a desire to self improve and be in touch with nature. In
this day and age, of technological dominance, it’s even more important for us
to be great role models in the community. www.trailkids.com.au is a venture
I’ve just started to bring children to play in nature. On the whole, trail runners
are caring, considerate and pretty relaxed people. I like to sum it up like this;
road runners have a start and finish to their training run and not much can
interrupt that. Trail runners start their training run and will seek out the most
interruptions possible before they finish. Whether it’s to stop to admire a
stunning view, take a photo, watch a lyrebird play, or to chat to another trail
runner, the destination and arrival time is always ‘negotiable’.
The camaraderie of a Trail race is like no other!
And let’s never forget that trail running is a whole lot of fun. It’s great to hear a
bird call rather than a heckle. A clap of thunder over a car horn? But being
prepared, by doing some basic trail running training, or having an experienced
friend or fellow runner show you the basics is a great way to start. And if
you’re like me, it will totally change how you train, and how you think about
running and life. But I warn you; no one ever just does trail running once! The
trail running bug has a mighty bite and the thrill of the trail will keep you
coming back over and over again.
Happy trails!
By Brendan Davies ©
For more information on Brendan and his coaching visit www.upcoaching.com.au
images courtesy of Southern Highlands Challenge
I live in the country, so 90% of my runs are on trails. I also live 30mins away from a national park. I’m so glad that trails were introduced to me early in my running life time.
Love the trails!