Last updated on April 13th, 2021 at 10:33 pm
Road runners and trail runners are sometimes overly steadfast in their commitment to the surfaces they run on. I have been guilty of this myself, and have only recently begun adding road miles to my trail running routine. As I’ve expanded my horizons a bit, I can more clearly see how running on both surfaces can be a benefit.
In this post, I go through five reasons all road runners should consider adding some trail miles to their running routine.
If you’re already into it, check out our Ultimate Beginners Guide to Trail Running. Otherwise, keep reading to see what you can gain from the trails.
1. Give Your Joints a Break | Low Impact
Of course there are tons of benefits to road running, but there is no doubt running on hard surfaces impacts our bodies. With road running, asphalt or concrete are the main surfaces we run on. If you’re adding major mileage to your routine this can be a main source of nagging injuries.
Plantar fasciitis, shin splints, sore knees, and more can all be a result of the long miles we put in on hard surfaces.
RELATED: Best GPS Watches For Trail Running & Ultrarunning
Replacing one of your road runs each week with a long slow trail run would be the perfect low-impact way to maintain weekly mileage. Whether a bridal trail, dirt path, or technical single track the ground actually gives a little bit on the trails.
This may sound like it wouldn’t be a big deal, but if you are running miles at a time the give of the earth under your feet can really help your joints through any training program.
2. Benefit From CRAZY Elevation Gain
Trails are almost always more difficult to run than roads. This has to do with the extremely sharp turns, unexpected obstacles, and most notably the more extreme ascents.
Hills are a MAJOR part of trail running, and even some of the most tame trails are likely to have steep hills. This is one of the reasons trail running burns way more calories than road running. Hills require more energy.
RELATED: Best Men’s Trail Running Shoes
The benefits of incorporating hills into your training will come in the form of:
- Stronger leg muscles (quads, hamstring, calves)
- Improvements to heart rate
- Ability to CRUSH smaller hills when you return to the road
While the hills and trails you can run vary by your location, it is likely some of the trails near you have SERIOUS hills. Having major elevation changes through the duration of long runs can help improve your overall endurance, and make smaller hills way easier to climb.
3. Burn More Calories | Work Harder
It is very common for trails to have unpredictable obstacles you’ll have to cross. This could be fallen trees that are laying across the trail, a super muddy section, or various roots from nearby trees. In short, all of these variations require more energy, which burns more calories.
RELATED: 10 Tips and Techniques for Running in Mud
Not all of us runners are looking to burn more calories or loose weight, BUT working harder on some runs is a good thing. Our bodies respond to change, and adding more difficult trails to your training routine will certainly provide a number of benefits.
And for those runners looking to shed some additional weight, trail might just be a faster path to success.
4. Beautiful Trails Can Keep You Motivated
While I would DEFINITELY consider myself a trail runner first, I have added road miles to my routine recently. In doing so, I can say with certainty that running trails provides a much more interesting and stimulating running environment than the roads near me.
Yes, this is an opinion, but for me it doesn’t matter what road I’m on… they all look the same when I’m running. At least where I live (in the Midwest), I can take a 30-minute drive and find an awesome trail to run.
RELATED: Best Trail Races in the U.S. | a Trail Runner’s Paradise
Whether being surrounded by trees, or having to cross a few streams, trail running provides a nice change to sidewalks and roads. If the change of scenery can keep you motivated, its worth hitting some trails in a park near you.
5. Avoid Crowds and Cars
This is the last one on our list, but it might as well be the first reason to add trail running to your routine… Avoid all the crowds and cars that get in your way.
Dealing with stoplights, cars, baby strollers, and crowds of people looking at their phones can be SUPER annoying when doing a threshold run or on your last mile on a long-run.
How many times did you get into a groove on your run, just to have a stop light turn green for crossways traffic? Happens to me all the time on my road runs, and it kills my vibe.
Running trails is a perfect way to have a completely uninterrupted run. I have found this to be true whether I’m running four miles or fourteen miles. Nothing but the trails, hills, and surrounding beauty… It’s a dream.
Incorporate Some Trail Runs and Benefit
Whether you’re looking to add some hill training, or you just want to escape the sounds of the city, trail running can be a relatively simple addition to your running routine.
When trail running, there aren’t any honking horns, motorcycle engine revs, or trucks braking… Sounds good already? If so, look around for some nearby trails and make an effort to add some off-road miles.
Image Credit: Peter Mooney | (https://www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/) | Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) — reduced file size and image