bob | 
09 17th, 2009| 
Trail Animals has been growing steadily since its “re-birth” in November of last year. We’re up to nearly 150 active members from literally all over the globe.
What we have found is over 2/3 of our membership are trying trail running for the first time - new to our sport. There was a day when TARC of old was 100% ultra runners (50K, 50M, 100K, 100M) - but not anymore. Although TARC boasts some of the most gifted ultra runners in the nation as members, our demographics have changed.
Today, trail running has become an attractive alternative to road running for many valid reasons. Below are a few tips for our beginners and a couple of resources to investigate further. As always, we look forward to seeing yo join us on the dirt, no matter what your skill level!
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Trail runners, generally are attracted to off-road routes’ natural settings and the peace and quiet of a far off mountain path versus the bustling noise and confusion of a city street. Not only mentally refreshing and de-stressing, trails are less physically punishing than their concrete counterparts.
Trail running tends to be easier on the body than the road, mainly due to uneven terrain which makes every step different. Long and short strides, shifting left and right forces you to use more stabilizer muscles in the lower legs and hips, plus you core is engaged dramatically. On a road run you repeat the same muscle movement and stress the same ligaments over and over.
To overcome rough trails, you have to learn to slow down or walk over especially technical or steep sections, not only to avoid tripping but also to allow muscles to recover and keep you moving efficiently.
Trail runners often require more recovery between workouts because they recruit more muscles to stabilize the body while moving over uneven terrain. Perform core-strengthening exercises on a ball, focusing on abdominal and hip stabilizers to help develop connector tissue while giving your joints a rest from the impact of running.
Between hard, hilly trail runs, include several flat, short, easy trails for active muscular recovery. Running pace on the road versus the trail is quite different and should never be used to judge your transition to the dirt. 10K at eight minutes per mile pace may feel easy and comfortable on the road, but the same distance on trails may take twice as long.
Given the varied terrain and rolling topography of most trails, gauge your workout on a basis of time or distance instead of pace. Heart rate readings will also tend to fluctuate more dramatically on the trails as you travel over varied ground. As your trail running advances, add distance and intensity gradually to avoid injuries and burnout.
For more information on trail running check out one of these sites:
