Top 3 Mistakes Runners Make Transitioning To Trails

When people start running it is typically on the road. It is generally more accessible as you can simply run out your door and it requires nothing more than running clothes & shoes. Typically after spending time running on the road runners will hear of trail running. This often peaks their interest, it offers an entirely different style of running. Although there are many similarities there are also big differences to both training and racing. I started on the road but now am a trail enthusiast. If you're a road runner that is trail curious here are the most common mistakes I seen when runners first transition over to the trails and how to make your transition more successful.

1) Trying to run everything

The majority of running on the road isn't too hilly, you can actually "run" the entire time. Depending on which trail you choose to tackle chances are that you'll encounter some hills and real big climbs. A mistake I often see is road runners trying to run all these climbs. It causes them to suffer later in their run or to work far above the prescribed intensity for their training session. In many ultra trail races the elite trail runners are power hiking the uphills. Why? Because it preserves their energy so they can have a steady output for the entire run, it helps avoid the dreaded bonk. Attempting to run everything will cause the onset of muscle fatigue to occur prematurely which will negatively impact your pace, potentially cause cramps and could cause you to walk the final portions of your run or race. Elevation is the real killer for road runners when they come to trails. Some can get away with running all the elevation only to later have delayed muscle soreness that sidelines them from further training causing an overall negative impact. I suggest that when you start trail running that you walk or power hike the steep uphills especially if the intent of the run is to be in the easy aerobic domain. You're still gaining strength, your cardio vascular system is still reaping the benefits due to the increased heart rate from the hills, all with the added bonus of less stress on your ligaments and tendons by walking or power hiking. Win Win!

2) Using road shoes in the trails

Many runners will do their first trail run in a pair of road runners. They tell themselves "How much difference will trail shoes actually make?" The answer is a lot! One of the biggest differences is the tread on the bottom of trail running shoes. The surface of trails has a lot of variety. The ground can be loose, muddy, and rocky, requiring more tread to maintain traction. Using road shoes you will be prone to a lot more slipping, loosing efficiency and energy that could be otherwise translated into forward motion. Where trail shoes really set themselves apart is when you hit elevation. The increased traction is extremely beneficial for the ascent but also smashing the downhills. If the ground is wet and muddy that's a whole other can of worms, good luck with your road running shoes! If you plan to run trails I highly suggest getting yourself a pair of trail running shoes, you won't regret it.

3) Worrying about their pace

Whether consciously or subconsciously most runners on the road have an expectation of what their easy, tempo or fast pace will be. Running on the road tends to be mostly flat and linear, at a constant effort level your pace will have minimal fluctuations. In the trails you weave in and out, zigzagging from point A to point B. Often there are micro and macro spikes in elevation while you travel in a non linear direction. Not only is your pace jumping around due to the elevation the GPS tends to be less accurate when you aren't travelling in a linear plane. You look down you're holding 8:30/km, the next second you're at 6:20/km and then at 7:10/km. If you try and hold an even pace throughout your run you're doomed to fail. The best advice I can give you is to let go of trying to hit any specific pace when you start running in the trails, heck take the pace metric off your watch! I typically only have time and heart rate displayed on my watch when running trails. I do this so I know the duration of the run and use heart rate to keep my effort level in line with the goal of the training session. One of my favorite things about trails is that you are forced to re-evaluate your relationship with pace and let go of any expectations. When you're not worried about pace you can relax and truly take in the beauty of the trails you're running.

These are the top 3 mistakes I see when road runners transition to the trails. I see these happen frequently and speak from experience having made these mistakes when I first started trail running. If you follow my 3 pieces of advice you'll have a smoother transition to your trail running experience.