Trail Running is Good for You (and it’s fun too!)

For both new and experienced runners (and walkers too!) trail running offers a number of benefits to improve your performance, find balance and an escape from the paved path.   As a 4 year runner who has stared incorporating trails, I have found two articles that help highlight the benefits of the trail running experience and why you need to incorporate trails into your training. 

In the Active.com (http://www.active.com/ ) article 5 Reasons to Try Trail Running(http://bit.ly/2bL0VRH), Jacquie Cattanah highlights the benefits of running trails.  She shifts the focus from running your PR (personal record) to the experience of running with better scenery.  The trail experience provides a mental and physical escape which she believes are so needed in today’s fast paced world.     

     Trail run at Balanced Rock in Big Bend National Park, Texas, December 2014. Photo image by Christy Ahsanullah.

In the Why Trail Running Is Good for You (http://bit.ly/2bmo6nm) published in Runner’s World (http://runnersworld.com) Lisa Jhung (@LisaJhung) highlights some reasons that trail running is growing in popularity and why to head out to the trails.  She stresses that it is better training, especially for those suffering or recovering from lower body injuries than paved paths.  She takes it a step further in saying “… don’t let the trails intimidate you. After all, it’s just dirt.”

The three key benefits of trail running are:

·       Gentler on your body – the softer surfaces reduce the stress and impact on your body which can mean fewer injuries.

·       Mental relaxation – the focus is on the scenery and connecting with nature thus escaping stress of the day or the performance pressure of time/pace – you have permission to slow down.

·       Getting stronger - the uneven surface and often hilly terrain causes you to have improved technique (landing on forefoot) and utilizes more muscles for movement.

Getting stronger, less injuries and mental relaxation are three great reasons to add trail running to your training plan and can make for a more enjoyable experience.  Take running off road and onto the trails and see where it may lead you.  Happy Running!