Most of you know I spend a lot of time running on the trails. It is my happy place. I’m fortunate to have miles and miles of trails to explore within a half-mile of my home! I’m always kind of surprised when people tell me that they rarely or never run on trails. While I understand that not everyone has a trail system in their backyard, there are so many trail running benefits that it’s worth your while to find some dirt on which to run.
This post is sponsored by adidas.
Trail Running Benefits
In all honesty, the main reason that I run on dirt is that I just love the experience, the slower pace, and the beauty. These are all great reasons, but there are even more trail running benefits that you may not be aware of. Here are just a few of them.
Trail running is amazing. It's fun, it's beautiful, it's challenging. Learn some other trail running benefits that will make you want to get out to the trails right now! #trailrunning #runningClick To TweetClear Your Mind
While running, in general, is great for clearing your mind, one of my favorite trail running benefits is the peace and quiet I find on the trails, which is so soothing and lets me empty my mind of stress, worries, and day-to-day junk.
Easier on Your Body
While trail running is certainly challenging, the softer surfaces are much easier on your body than concrete or asphalt. Of course, if you fall…
A Different Challenge
Runners love challenges, don’t they? Welcome to trail running, which is challenging without requiring any burpees. Climbing hills (or mountains!), negotiating rocky trails and switchbacks, sometimes fording rivers or streams, are all a part of the trail running challenge.
A Shift in Goals
Trail running, or trail racing for that matter makes you look at things slightly differently. While running on the road can become a method of getting from point A to point B as fast as possible, trail running isn’t fast. Instead, trail runners can focus on foot placement, balance, and getting up that next hill. And not falling, of course.
Improves Strength
Chances are, if you’re running on trails, you’re running up and down hills, which is great for getting stronger. And that sandy trail? It’s perfect for building foot and calf strength! And all of that balancing is so good for the core.
Improves Balance and Proprioception
One of the best trail running benefits is that it improves balance and proprioception (awareness of your body in space), making you better at, you guessed it, running on trails! Oh yeah, it makes you better at life in general, since most things require balance.
While trail shoes aren’t required, these adidas Terrex trail running shoes are great for rocky uneven surfaces. They’re available in men’s sizes too.
I hope this post has given you the urge to get out on the trails and run (or walk)! If you need a little help getting started, here are some trail running tips that will help.
I train so I can stay healthy and young. Why do you train?
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I rarely get to run on trails these days. The trail I used to run on is very flat, but I do like being out in nature. It’s about 25 minutes from where I live so it’s hard to make time to get there.
It’s tough when you need to drive to get to a trail.
You are really lucky to have such pretty trails so close to you! We don’t have anything like that near me.
I’m so lucky to have some great trails within a half mile of my home.
Trails by me look very different than trails by you! And I have to drive to mine. It’s always a little alarming to go out alone just because sometimes there are people living in the woods, and you never know when an animal like a boar or snake will be hanging out. Not ideal.
But there are definitely huge benefits to it and sometimes it’s nice to just be out there in the wild.