Summer has arrived and Mother Nature is calling you outside. There is no better time to start trail running so grab a buddy and your sneakers and hit the trails – right after reading this Trail Running 101 primer courtesy of Sarah Seads at Equilibrium Lifestyle Management (ELM).
Trail Safety Tips:
Whether you are a first time trail runner or an experienced ultra marathoner, these trail tips will ensure your safety on the trail.
• Take the right gear with you. This includes a whistle for emergency communication, map of the area, water, a quick energy snack, basic first aid kit including any medication that you may need, and a cell phone (some remote trails do not have cellular service so check first).
• Be aware of your surroundings. Learn some basic map reading and navigation skills before you venture off the beaten path. Having the ability to identify landmarks and navigate using terrain features can help you avoid wrong turns and decrease anxiety if you do go astray. Map reading skills will allow you to explore a new area with confidence that you will return to your car.
• Buddy Up. Run with a buddy in new or remote trails and make sure to leave word of your route. This way, a search party will waste no time heading out to find you if you don’t return on schedule.
• Improve your skills. Professional instruction in running technique, climbing and descending and map reading/navigation will ensure you have a solid foundation for your future as a trail runner.
Trail Training Tips:
Trail running requires additional balance, agility and co-ordination than your usual road run. This means you need to be alert and ready to react to the ever- changing path in front of you. Here are some tips and tricks to remember:
• Form: Maintain good posture in the trails. Run tall, chest high, shoulders down and back, hips forward. Good postural alignment will help you run more efficiently. Relax those arms, keep the hands loose, land lightly on the mid to forefoot and look up to improve your posture while enjoying the scenery.
• Trail Technique: Shorten your stride and increase turnover (how frequently your feet touch the ground) to improve your reaction time and decrease impact. On technical sections such as sand, loose dirt/gravel, water and roots, shorten your stride even more to react
quickly and avoid landing hard.
• Hills: Think in thirds. 1st third shorten your stride length and increase turnover slightly, 2nd third maintain your pace, final third give a little push over the top and down the other side. Stand tall, drive back arms, keep your head up and look over top.
• Down hills: On an easy grade lean forward slightly, lengthen your stride, and let gravity do the work. If it is too steep/technical or if you feel out of control shorten your stride slightly and increase the turnover.
Sarah Seads is a passionate trail runner, coach and the owner of Equilibrium Lifestyle Management (ELM) in the Comox Valley. Check out ELM’s summer Adventure Trail Running and Outdoor Yoga clinics this August. Contact ELM for more information and to register at elmhealth.com
