Top Twenty Trail Running Tips

In no particular order.

Run a regular loop. Use a favourite loop; preferably one with a bit if everything in it; to establish performance benchmarks and gauge fitness and improvements in fitness.

Warm up and warm down.  Minimum of five minutes before and after of easy jogging or some movement is essential; ten minutes if you can.  This will reduce the risk of injuries as you transition the body from resting to hard effort and back to resting.

Rest. Take regular rest days during your training.  Professionals make the most of rest; the time when your body actually increases it's capacities; so should you.  Take a day off a week and use the time to pursue a less active interest.  Your body will thank you for it and you'll improve more quickly.

Run far and wide.  Top keep things fresh and your muscles guessing run as many different types of trail and terrain as possible.  This will freshen up your routine and provide new challenges.  Even plan on doing some running if you go on a trip.

Walk.  Whether starting out or running an ultra, walking can help you stay fresher for longer.  Incorporate walking as part of your running,.  By walking at a brisk pace for periods you reduce stress on the leg muscles and cardiovascular system.  Walk the hard ups and downs on a trail until you develop the skill and technique to manage them successfully.

Wilderness 101.  OK so running in a local park might not be too far away from the urban jungle but running far from home in a National Park or similar might entail a new set of challenges.  Learn about the basics of wilderness traveling and feel safe on the trail.  Most trails become fairly free of traffic only a few miles from the trail-head, one wrong step could mean a night outdoors. 

Develop a Training Plan.  However simple or complex having a plan will help.  You can track progress against goals and tweak and change things to allow you to develop in the area of your choice.  Go on-line and find a ready made training plan and tweak it to your own goals.

Keep a Logbook.  Something as simple as time and distance or a more thorough record of your weight, diet, weather and trails is a useful tool for the runner.  You can track how well you run and what helped or hindered your performance.  The Logbook will help you tweak your training plan and facilitate the achievement of your goals.

Learn the ups and downs. Trail running can include some severe ups and downs, literally.  Severe gradients on the trail can scupper a runner with muscle fatigue or a fall.  Practice running the ups and downs; slowly at first; so that when out and about that 1:3 hill won't scupper your run. 

Be appreciative of other trail users. Bears, rattlers, equestrians, other runner and mountain bikers all share the trails with you.  Be aware of the correct trail etiquette so as to be a Trail Running Ambassador and not a Trail Running Antagonist. 

Ditch the iPod. Natural wonders and the everyday sounds of nature are best experienced without the sound of your favourite running track.  Plus you may not notice the approach of other trail users or trail critters if you are wrapped up in the exquisiteness of Beethoven's 5th.

Have fun and just run. Sometime the times, the training, can get in the way of a good run.  Once in a while ditch all the paraphernalia and just go out and run, don't worry about times or training plans just run in the woods.  You will be thankful for it when you finish.     

Cross-train. Whether it's mountain biking, snowshoeing, yoga or weights any type of non-running exercise incorporated into your schedule will help.  Using a different set of muscles will keep your running ones fresh and give you a better all-over workout at the end of a week. 

Race.  A race stimulates in different ways from a trail run.  The competition might spur you on or the goal of running a PB might float your boat.  The race just adds a new element into your schedule and livens things up.

Run year round. Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter.  The trails change as the season change and make the running experience very different and interesting. You may not be able to do that 20miler in January snow or that lunchtime run in the August heat. Change up your running to suit the seasons and you'll get the benefit and joy from running all year round.  

Run whatever the weather. Modern gear can keep you running no matter the weather.  Rain, snow, sleet and hail need not be a barrier to running. Of course exercise due caution it's just that running in the rain can be a liberating experience as can making the first footprints on a snowy morning. 

Gear Up. From hydration backpacks to gaiters, GPS units to trekking poles.  You can find a wealth of appropriate gear to help you enjoy a trail run and keep safe.   

Understand your body. Learn to gauge your effort from your ability to talk or not.  Listen to your legs and feel and learn when you are pushing too hard and when you are cruising.  Understand when you are getting dehydrated. Out in the wilds you are your first line of defense against injury and accident. 

Tread lightly.  Not the pavement pounding of the road runner here.  Trails have a wide variety of terrain from rocky to muddy and everything in between.  Taking care where you step and making sure you tread softly will help you glide over the terrain rather than ploughing through it.  You'll be faster and less likely fall if you think Mountain Goat.

You will never regret going on that trail run.  Even if you feel lousy just go and run.  Sooner or later the act of running will breeze through you and you'll be glad you set out.