Late Winter Trail Running

Trail running was an easy thing to convince myself to get into because it seemed to combine two of my favorite activities, which are hiking and running.  But even if you are not a runner already, you should give it a try.   The most ardent runner in the world will have to admit that occasionally, running on the road/street/sidewalk, etc. can sometimes be really, really boring.  We all get in these ruts where we run the same routes on the same streets, over and over and over.  We get on auto pilot and sometimes mentally check out of the whole experience, or focus on some stupid output from a smart phone app, like our max heart rate by feet of elevation gain by seconds per lap.  I mean, you have to have something to post to Facebook right?  We pound on concrete for ten plus miles and then complain about foot pain, knee pain, and hip pain.

Trail running is a completely different experience.  In almost every big road race I have ran (half or full marathon) I have struggled with cramps in my legs.  But in trail races, I have never had a problem because in a trail run every foot fall is different.  Your muscles are getting stretched every which way, which is a good thing.  That is also a reason why I don’t deal with as many “runner pains” on the trail as I do on the road.  Having a much softer running surface makes a world of difference on your knees too.  Beyond less physical stress, your mind actually goes to work as well.  When terrain or trees are rushing past you, you actually feel like you are going somewhere, and you have to concentrate to place each step.  This is so much better than being stuck beside the same concrete rain gutter for ten miles, only occasionally stopping for an intersection or skipping around dog poo.  Beyond the tangible stuff, there is the spiritual side of it.  It just feels good to run through the woods.  As a human, you are made for running distance.  Other than horses and dogs, we are the best distance runners on the planet (although there is actually a horse versus human race in Wales every year and sometimes the human wins).  For tens of thousands of years, the main way our species hunted meat was to chase it down.  We are simply built to run long distances over rough terrain, even if there isn’t a Woolly Mammoth in front of us.  Trail running lets you connect with a little part of that.  

    

So if you ever wanted to try to trail run, this period of late February into early April is about the best time of year to give it a shot.  For the most part the brutal cold weather is moving out.  The briars and the poison ivy are as down as they are going to be.  The mosquitos, spider webs, chiggers, and ticks are as down as they are going to be.  The snake issue is reduced, but I keep my eyes on the trail anyway just in case there is an early riser.  If you have shoes, you have all the equipment you need.  Specialized trail runners are nice, but not really necessary.  The commitment barrier is low.  If you hate it, at worst you just wind up with an easy day hike.  So get out there while the conditions are good and give it a shot.  And if you spot a Woolly Rhinoceros, take ‘em down.  I have heard they are pretty tasty!

Where to go:

For Madison County folks, the trails at Union University, Fred Young Park, and Pinson Mounds State Park are all great places to go.  On March 11^th, there is a charity 5K race on the Youth Town trail which would be a good introduction to a trail race.  Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/youth-town-hero-trail-5k-runhike-tickets-31852501690