Question:
What are some of the non-physical
benefits of trail running?
Answer:
On a trail I escape the noises of
the city and I no longer need to
dodge cars at busy intersections
To me roads are fairly redundant
and pavement looks much the same
from Maine to California. But the
same trail looks different if you
just run on it in the reverse direction.
In fact, a trail takes on a new
look as the seasons change.
After running
more than seventy-five marathons
and ultramarathons, I dropped out
of my first race during a 100k run
on paved 10k loops. It was my first
nontrail race in years and the knee
problems I suffered made me promise
myself that it would be my last.
When runners
complain of overuse injuries, it's
a safe bet to ume that they got
hurt from running on roads. Pounding
the pavement with little variation
in stride or foot strike, mile after
mile, just isn't natural. We're
simply not made for logging big
miles on the streets.
The attitudinal
distinction between a road runner
and a trail runner is one between
a quest for speed and distance versus
pursuing something for an intrinsic,
yet immeasurable, experience. Road
runners tend to be into measurement.
They are often aware of their pace,
heart rate, the distance they have
run, their PR for that distance,
and the calories they have burned.
In contrast, while trail runners
might know the day of the week,
they rarely know how far they have
run, much less their pace because
they normally measure their runs
by either time or distance but not
both.
Many more
ultramarathons are run on trails
than they are on roads. This is
so for many reasons. First, the
ultra community is a more mature
crowd that has learned that the
road to injury is paved, especially
in races longer than 26.2 miles.
Ultrarunners are also often characterized
as aficionados of natural beauty,
which is why the biggest and best
ultras are in some of the most awe-inspiring
places.
These are
from a book someone gave me (The
ultimate guide to trail running)
that I finally got around to looking
over while in the bathroom. Quotes
are from the introduction, the rest
of the book sucks. Lessons: Even
sucky books have some good quotes
sometimes. Unless you share the
same interest and know the same
or more than the one you're buying
for, never try to buy a gift for
an enthusiast because you'll always
miss the mark.
