Trail running is the combination of running and hiking. Essentially, runners run on trails. Trail running may not be as popular as running and hiking, but it indeed has many benefits. And this is why trail runners are obsessed with trail running.
I believe you had similar experience. When you were hiking, occasionally, you met some runners running uphill or hopping downhill. Why wouldn’t they slow down their pace and hike instead? Didn’t this hurt?
Meanwhile, their speed and agility that prevented them from falling and getting injury were impressive. – How did they do this?
That is the magic of trail running. In fact, trail running is gaining its popularity globally. There are more and more trail running events and they are still growing!
So, let’s explore the benefits of trail running and see why trail running is good for you, too!
1. Therapeutic
Most of us live in the cities or towns. We are so used to the busy environment: skyscrapers, traffic, noises, crowds, roads, pollution, etc. Our pace is fast to “compete” with others so we can always stay on top. – But, we forget to “BREATHE”.
Ask yourself. When was the last time that you left the city and went to the forest? I want you to picture this in your mine: you’re walking on the trail. There are trees around you and you can hear the birds chirping. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breath. – How do you feel?
You just have to keep the feeling within you.
Forest is THERAPEUTIC. We instantly feel relaxed and relieved when we are in the forest.
Why forest is therapeutic
There is a study about physiological effect of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) in Japan. The researchers conducted the experiment both in forests and cities. Besides, the volunteers had to SIT and WALK on both settings. Then, the researchers measured and compared the following readings of the volunteers accordingly:
- Cortisol in saliva (stress hormone)
- Blood pressure
- Pulse rate and heart rate
- Change in high-frequency (HF) power of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) for Parasympathetic nerve activity (ie. Rest & Digest)
- Change in low-frequency (LF) over HF of HRV for Sympathetic nerve activity (ie. Fight or Flight)
The researchers found that the forest readings of cortisol in saliva, blood pressure, pulse rate, heart rate, and LF/HF of HRV are lower than city readings. Conversely, the forest reading of HF of HRV was higher than city reading.
Well, it means forests have relaxing and soothing effects, regardless sitting or walking.
Likewise, trail running is soothing, which we won’t feel the same as road running or treadmill running.
In fact, once you enter the forest, you already feel the effect even BEFORE you start running.
2. Fun & adventurous
Many runners dislike treadmill running because it is boring. They dread running on treadmills. – Hence, they call it as dreadmill.
Likewise, they prefer road running, because it is not as boring as dreadmill running. However, road running has some drawbacks. For example, they have to watch out for the traffic and the crowd. These can divert their attention from running. – Fun? Not really. Busy? Yeah!
Trail running is different. Typically, trail running is full of UNEXPECTATION. Every single trail is distinctive and unique to each other. There are so many factors to account for the trail conditions, such as mud, rocks, bumps, junctions, undulations and elevations.
It’s FUN because you don’t have the predictable route, unlike road running and treadmill running. Every single factor on the trail makes trail runners adjust their run immediately. – Just like playing Super Mario.
It is ADVENTUROUS because you can explore different paths within your safety boundary. You might discover unvisited rivers or waterfall. – Of course, you can explore with your running buddies for safety purpose.
Unless you are a veteran or elite trail runner, you don’t need to care about the data on your smart watch when you run on trails. Don’t care about the speed and pace, just run and observe the surroundings, feel the moment when you embrace the Mother Nature!
3. Less impact than road running
People perceive running is bad for ankles and knees. Hence, some even avoid running to “protect” their ankles and knees.
If this is true, then how to explain some runners without ankles and knees injuries? Conversely, why do some non-runners suffer ankle and knees problems?
This is not a straightforward topic. But, it is true that our body withstands tremendous amount of force while we run. And this can result in ankles and knees problem.
That is the beauty of trail running. Believe it or not. While you might think trail running makes your knees and ankles injure, it might do the opposite.
Think about this: trail is different from asphalt or concrete road. It is soft. This extends the period of time for the feet to absorb the shock while running. Hence, it reduces the impact on your ankle and knees. – So, it reduces the chance of ankle and knee injuries.
It is perfectly possible to run on trails with minimal impact on your ankles and knees. A friend of mine is a long-distance runner and trail runner. He prefers running on trails because of this reason.
4. Improve coordination & stability
I always encountered this while hiking. I was impressed by the trail runners while ascending or descending the trail. They didn’t even fell and hurt themselves and they kept running.
I really didn’t know how they did this. I would imagine myself doing the same, but falling and injuring myself always. Until I learned that it is a skill than we can learn to improve our coordination and stability.
When you start trail running, you may face the same issues which hinder your speed. But, with proper training, you will notice you get the improvement from the following aspects:
- Balance – Surprisingly, trail running is a core exercise. A strong core enhances running posture, so it makes your run stable and balanced.
- Proprioception & agility – Proprioception is where you know the foot placement without looking at it while running. Agility is where you are able to run easily and “lightly”.
- Foot stability – This relates to foot muscular strength and balance of 2 main components, ie. Pronation (shock and impact absorption) and Supination (strength and stability of pushing off the feet)
Improving your coordination and stability doesn’t only make you run fast with agility, but also helps reduce injuries.
5. Improve physical health
Trail running is essentially cardio exercise and it has the same benefits as road running and treadmill running. But, trail running stands out from road running and treadmill running, when it comes to physical health benefits.
Cardiovascular health
People claim that trail running can burn 10% more calories than treadmill running. While it is unsure whether there is any scientific proof on this or not, the notion where burning more calories for trail running makes sense.
Think about this. While running on trails, our leg muscles flexes differently based on the condition of the trails. This potentially needs more effort to run. In contrast, we won’t face this while running on roads or treadmills.
As we burn more calories, we prevent obesity. We can strengthen our hearts and lungs and even improve stamina and prevent heart disease.
Strong legs
People always think that strong legs relate to muscular and bulky legs, for those who squat and deadlift. But, you can also have strong legs by running on trails.
Trail running can strengthen your leg muscles, which makes your run strong, powerful and stable. In the long run, you’ll notice your quads, calves, joints and even your glutes get firmer. – Trail running activates these muscle groups to make them better at performance.
Interestingly, strong leg muscles leads to other health benefits as well. These are:
- Increasing metabolism rate
- Enhancing cardiovascular function
- Improving core strength
- Reducing ankle and knee injuries
Hence, you can see strong legs play an important role in cardiovascular health and coordination and stability.
6. Improve mental health
Do you still remember the time when you exercised very hard and you kept sweating non-stop? How did you feel afterwards? Did you feel energized and stress-relieved? – And, was it the greatest moment in life?
Well, trail running works exactly the same and has numerous mental health benefits, too! These include:
- Reducing stress and anxiety
- Reducing depressed feeling
- Improving concentration
- Reducing pain
- Elevating mood
- Boosting confidence
The above might be due to RUNNER’S HIGH. To date, many scientists have been trying to find out the cause of Runner’s High, and there are some scientific observations to prove it.
Observations
Observation 1: Endorphins – Stress and pain relief hormones. These hormones are secreted in our body during workouts. Thus, we feel less stressful and happy. This is the most popular observation that explains Runner’s High.
Observation 2: Endocannabinoids – Chemicals are produced in our body naturally which has the same effect as cannabis (marijuana). This counters with Observation 1 as Endorphins are too big to pass through the blood-brain barrier, meaning we feel happy not because of this.
Unlike Endorphins, Endocannabinoids can easily pass through the blood-brain barrier because of the smaller size than endorphins. Hence, these make us feel calm and elevate our mood.
7. Sense of achievement
Well, we feel great after running, whether running on roads or treadmills. So, what is so special about trail running?
Remember the time when you worked so hard and you finally achieved your goal? Remember when you studied day-and-night and you finally passed your exams? So, how did you feel?
I believe you surely have a great sense of achievement. And you have a great satisfaction and you feel proud of yourself. You feel these because of Dopamine in your body. – Hormone in relation to reward system.
The greater the reward is, the more dopamine is produced, and hence, the greater the sense of achievement is.
We crave for this sensation, because we feel so great and powerful. Thus, difficult challenges excite us more than simple challenges. – Well, you prefer playing challenging game than brainless game, right?
That is why trail running stands out from road running or treadmill running. Technically, it is more superior due to the skills, stamina and strength.
Imagine yourself complete the trail run event. You have run consecutively by going through a few hills (both uphill and downhill) within the stipulated time.
Believe me. Your confidence will skyrocket! After you have tried trail running, you’ll find road running and treadmill running much easier.
In fact, this is the biggest motivation of trail running. That is why we can see many runners are obsessed with trail running. – We like great sense of achievement, don’t we?
8. Look athletic
Trail running sheds our body fat and strengthens our muscles. Thus, trail runners always look toned and athletic. And, athletic people usually are more attractive than non-athletic people.
This article discusses a study where athletic men tend to attract women easier than non-athletic men. This is not from the appearance standpoint, but from BIOLOGICAL view. In fact, athletic men appear to be strong and healthy. Women want to find strong and healthy men to protect them and their offspring.
Conversely, men also find athletic women attractive, too. To them, athletic women are independent, strong, able to take care of themselves, and confident.
Trail running doesn’t merely make runners “look” athletic, but in fact, it does really make them strong and athletic by improving their muscular strength and cardiovascular function.
Trail running makes you strong and look attractive, why not utilize this perk?
9. Improve relationship
Do you have any passion that nobody shares the same interest with you? You feel lonely……
Then, you suddenly find someone who has the same interest. You feel like you have found your “soul mate”. Suddenly, you guys can talk to each other non-stop and share relevant information with each other.
Although trail running is gaining its popularity, many people avoid this because it is challenging. Hence, if you had found a trail running buddy, you should TREASURE him!
You guys can run together, help each other and explore together while trail running! This will greatly improve the relationship. In the end, you guys may become BFF to each other!
Again, it is always better to run on trails with a companion for safety purpose. Even if you didn’t have a companion yet, you could join a trail running community.
That is the perfect chance to know more passionate trail runners. Usually, they are very helpful and willing to share their knowledge and experience with you.
You don’t have to worry about the sweat while running, because everyone is the same! You might not know them personally, yet. But, you guys run, laugh, and take care of each other. Who knows an acquaintance might become your BFF, too?
Final thought: trail running benefits
Trail running is an awesome activity as it has various benefits which we are not aware of. In fact, trail running deserves having similar popularity to running or hiking.
Though it looks technical and skilled-demanding, it is perfectly fine to start trail running without any experience at all. – You can start small and easy. Then, there you go!
Luckily, the popularity is booming. You can see there are more and more trail running events around the world. I have faith in trail running as it will become one of the most common outdoor recreational activities someday.
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