5 Reasons You Should Include Trail Running in Your Training

1. Less stress on bones and joints. Getting on a soft surface a few times a week will decrease the stress on your body from pounding the pavement. This is especially important if you have had joint problems or stress fractures in the past. Both of these problems can be aggravated by each step on a hard surface.

2. Uneven ground strengthens balancing muscles. Having to step over roots, rocks and logs uses different muscles in your legs involved in balance. These muscles are not used when you run on flat roads, so the first time you hit the trails you may feel uncoordinated. You might also feel soreness the next day after using those small muscle groups. Uneven trails also activate the core muscles, as they are used to keep your torso straight and upright. This aspect is especially important if you are planning on running a cross country or trail race. You need these muscles to be strong by the time you run the race or they will tire very quickly and your race will be much slower than you expected.

3. Hilly trail running helps to build strength. Hills are the most specific weight training a runner can do, so whenever you run hills you are becoming stronger. You can run hill repeats by running quickly up a hill and jogging back down it. The fact that you are on soft ground means that you do not get the jarring sensation that sometimes accompanies running downhill on pavement. If you do not want to run hill repeats, you can get much of the benefit by including a lot of hills throughout an entire run. Of course, if you are hitting the trails for an easy run, you may want to avoid many of the hills to keep the intensity low enough.

4. Changing your scenery can prevent mental burnout. It can get boring running the same routes through town every day. If you can get out to a trail once or twice a week, it will be something you will look forward to. You will be less likely to get bored and slack off in your training.

5. Running workouts on trails can get your heart rate high at a lower speed, so again you get less stress on muscles, bones and joints. Depending on the purpose of your workout, different types of trail running can be used. If the purpose is to get your heart rate to a certain level, you can use a hilly trail. If you want to get your legs moving quickly, you should stay on relatively flat trails.