4 reasons to be an off-roadrunner – balance, baby!
So, it makes all sense to avoid the hard roads and take your run to the beach or forest (woodchip-paths!). Even better: take off-road trails that are more challenging. The city I live in (The Hague) has horse-paths and off road (sometimes overgrown) trails that are a lot more exciting than the boring cycle paths. And I bet all of you living outside of the cities have even more interesting off-road trails.
because of the reason above, your stride varies a lot more than with ‘roadrunning’. Because of obstacles you automatically go slower and faster. =better cardio/fatburning!
Because off-road running requires more directional changes and lateral movement and demand more variation in stride length and foot action to avoid obstacles and maintain traction, youre actually growing strength and stability in more muscles (the small AND chore) than you would with normal, straight running.
Well, youre off the main road. That means theres more nature to be seen and creepy bushes to stride through. It makes your run a lot more interesting and adventurous!
I love running on these trails. But hey, they are made for horseriding and runners shouldn’t be there. Its like riding a scooter on the German Autobahn. When running on horsetrails, know youre on THEIR ground. Don’t wear headphones; you want to hear when theres a horse coming, to step far aside to let him/her pass. Not only out of respect for using their trail, but also out of respect for your own bones (a horse wins in a human vs horse collision 😉 ).
are also off-road. Theyre like horse-trails. You find them mostly in the UK and France. Make sure you dont run on these trails in hunting season. Reason: same as above but than WITH the added human vs bullet collision risk.
Ah, omg. We don’t have these in The Netherlands like they do in other countries. Loved Muir Woods, North of San Francisco. I’d go hiking/running there every week.
While off-road running is better for your joints, you do have a higher risk of twisting your ankles or knees if you don’t have strong joints and a good balance to start with. Google ‘proprioception excerises‘ for examples to build up specific strength and balance to prevent injuries..
When running on manmade trails you shouldnt worry about your shoes (provided they are pro running shoes in the first place). On more extreme trails you should think about other runshoes: Specific trail running shoes have features such as more durable outsoles, aggressive traction and waterproofing that make them better suited to more extreme circumstances.
even in the smallest forest you can get lost while running off-road. So bring a compass (aka smartphone ; ) ).
Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive learn like this before. So nice find somebody with a bit of original tips on this subject.
thanks FitFlop (I have a pair of those haha)!