Tips for Your First Trail Race
Trail curious? In today’s blog, I outline recommendations on how to select and prepare for your first trail race! If you have trails nearby that are part of your typical routes or if you ran cross country in high school, you are probably a bit less intimidated about running your first off-road race. But if you live in sidewalk land (like me), it takes more effort to get to trails and many never do, so registering for your first trail race can feel daunting.
My first key point is regarding trail running community and culture – I’m not saying the world of trail is without flaws, but in most regions the trail running community is quite welcoming to new-comers and generally the culture is less concerned about how long it takes to complete the event. People are drawn to the trails for a number of reasons… a desire to connect with nature, a need to self-reflect, a longing to retreat from stimulating environments, a drive to conquer a mountain, a boredom with the monotony of road running (no offense to those who love the roads). Other trail runners get it. And we’re happy you’re here! The nature of trail races makes it much harder to track personal bests, many courses are funky distances, and the twists and turns of the routes make GPS tracking a bit less accurate. To this I say, don’t worry about your time. Throw out the watch! Enjoy the journey.
Now onto the more practical tips.
It’s ok to start small. While there are some incredibly beautiful and inspiring trail races out there, you don’t have to sign up for Leadville 100 right away just because you saw someone else cool run it. There are a lot of cool people running in your local, grass-roots events. I’m not saying you shouldn’t sign up for the big dream races, but in your preparation for those, and before you toe the line for a massive adventure, sign up for a nearby shorter trail race to get your feet wet (figuratively and literally). The Fast Bananas Trail Race in Serenbe on November 14th is a great example (but don’t worry, you won’t actually have to get your feet wet in that race). With options to run a 5k or 10k, you can pick the distance that makes the most sense for where you are in your training.
Your strength training should look different. While every runner needs good single leg strength and balance, ankle and hip stability, and good control with plyometrics, trail runners need to take these things very seriously. Even courses that don’t have a lot of elevation change will still require a lot more lateral movement than road running. The reality is that many trail races also do have a lot more vertical gain and loss. With this comes more muscle breakdown. Check out my past article on downhill running to learn more about why this is true and what you should do about it. In the meantime, think about ways you can modify your current strength program to include more balance tasks and ankle strengthening, and add lateral hopping to your run warmup routine (that I trust you ARE doing). For more specific recommendations based on your unique needs, come see us for a running gait analysis or physical therapy evaluation!
Get on trails. If you don’t have any trail options nearby, look ahead in your calendar and see if you can prioritize a few weekend trips that will allow you some trail time. Still not feasible? Get off-road! Even running on the shoulder of a road, around soccer fields, or in the grass through the park is better than nothing. While all that ankle strengthening and balance work is important, nothing beats the specific stimulus of running off-road.
Try out trail gear. I will go into more depth on trail gear in a future blog, and depending on your race distance or trail conditions, you may need a lot of it. The adage “nothing new on race day” is as true for trails as it is for roads. If you plan to use special trail gear during your race, please take it for a test run at least once prior to the date of your race. My biggest recommendation is to get a pair of trail shoes. Similar to buying road shoes, I suggest going into a shoe store and trying on several different pairs to find the one that feels best to you. In the Atlanta area, the selection of trail shoes can be limited but most running stores in the metro area have at least a couple to try. For cheaper options, check out Take2Trail or REI Re/Supply where you can find new or gently used trail shoes at a price point that’s a little less scary to commit to when you haven’t tried them on.
Have fun with it! As I previously mentioned, the trail running community loves to have fun. Be kind to yourself in training, get excited on race day, chat with other runners during the race, and celebrate at the finish line! Tackling your first trail race is a big deal and you should be proud of yourself for trying something new that is inherently challenging. The trail community will celebrate with you, including me!
For more tips on running your first trail race, my inbox is open! Don’t hesitate to reach out.
See you on the trails,
Dr. Perrin Clavijo, PT, DPT
Precision Performance & Physical Therapy in Atlanta and Serenbe
Call us at 404-343-3314 to schedule an appointment!
