I like trail running.
Yet I also think it is great way to get injured.

Sure I know "roads blah blah pounding blah blah"

But I on trails, I am constantly twisting my my ankle, whacking my head on a branch, tripping and flying head first into a cactus etc. etc. etc.

I think most sports injuries are actually "accidents" not repetitive stress things.

Sighting isn't just for the swim. :)

I love trail running. depending on the terrain, it can be either a lot like road running, or not very much like road running at all.

a lot of triathletes are really into constant-level-of-exertion training. it's really hard to do that on most trails. things are more fartlek-y.

but i went from a running newby w/a first time marathon time of 3:28 (07) to a 2:57 in my 3rd marathon (09), and I'd guess that 1/3 of my miles during that time were on trails.

adverse condition running is great. Give me cold, give me uphill, give me sand, give me jagged rocks. There was this dirt road that was slightly angled downhill. I always ran downhill, then one day said," lets do my intervals from opposite end uphill starting today". My run time went up drastically at the track at the Y only two weeks after I started inserting uphill intervals.

If you can run adverse conditions non-adverse will seem easier. Dirt, rocks, uphill, don't be scared....

Unfortunately "run surface adversity" is a bit difficult to measure. You don't want to go from flat surface running to 45 degree uphill running obviously though.

I recommend 99% of your running on soft surface. My experience with athletes is you can get more volume that way, better recovery and perhaps less injuries.

grass, dirt road, gravel etc....

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Jonathan Caron / Professional Coach / ironman champions / age group world champions
Jonnyo Coaching
Instargram

Yes, off-road doesn't have to be some crazy technical trail. I always run on the grass beside the regular path used for running.

So if I run 1/3 of my miles on trails will I run 2:57 too? ? =)

If you run just off the shoulder of the road in South Jersey you get to deal with rocks and sand and gravel and shoes and needles and underwear and beer cans and little ariplane bottles of Fireball and all sorts of other shit like that

It's lovely down here, really it is

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Some super technical trail you've got there!

Running = running regardless of the surface. You have to go through the same motion either way. Trail running actually can have more benefits than road running other than the obvious cardiovascular benefits. Technical trails make you use a lot of muscles that you don't typically use in road running or triathlon in general. Having to cut direction requires a lot of lateral motion. Its good for you!

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Robert Dao
ATC Racing - Austin, TX
Gold's Gym Triathlon Coach
@speedao1
@daotraining

X2 on all above - esp more volume potential and grass beside the path when possible.

IMO we did not evolve running on pavement.

I want to run when I'm 90. Running on grass and trails will help get me there. Pavement no so much.

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Advocating for research & treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
http://www.meaction.net/about/what-is-me/

"Suck it up, Buttercup"
(me, to myself, every day)

yes. so if you're faster than that, you should probably stick with the roads.

I try to spend as much time off pavement as possible. I remember this interview with Alberto Salazar where he talks specifically about how little running he allows his athletes to do on pavement. (I'm pretty sure I've got the right episode here!)

http://competitorradio.competitor.com/...2/alberto-salazar-2/

My n=1

I do (or did, before I moved to the centre of a ver large city) 90% of my running on trails. Hilly trails. I saw _huge_ improvements over the 2 seasons I kept it up.

That said, I also added mileage and started to run doubles as well. That said, I think the lack of repetive pounding on the joints, coupled with the fact that I often had to force myself to run slower on trails to avoid twisting ankles or ploughing into a kangaroo (almost happened twice), helped keep my legs happy and enabled the increase in mileage. Now that I've moved to a city where trails aren't so easy to come by, I've noticed that I don't recover quite so quickly as I did when I was hitting the dirt.

Given the option, I'd run trails as often as I could (excluding interval sessions where hitting a pace is required). I'd run hills almost as often, particularly in the "off season".

I do at least 70-80% of my running on the trails. There is some pavement on the way to the trail (sometimes I ride my bike there though) and I do some speed/vo2max on the track. Very rarely just basic training on pavement, more or less only when I'm like 6 weeks out from a major race and even then I keep the long run on the trails.

Less recovery, more 'athleticism', way more fun. If you have a problem with rolled ankles you need to get flatter and better shoes (try Inov8 or Icebug. Maybe Salomon Sense/speedcross)

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Endurance coach | Physiotherapist (primary care) | Bikefitter | Swede

This was one of my reasons (alongside the reduced DOMS potentially reducing any adaption c/w the road, and the reduced speed imposed by surface irregularities) for starting the thread. At times trails can be so steep the runner is barely making any forward progress at all but it sure gets the heart rate up!

Trails are fine. You won't suddenly have weak legs from lack of pavement running so long as you're putting in the volume and distance on the trails.

Running on roads has its own benefits/drawbacks - flatter surface means you can often get higher leg turnover than on a technical trail, which is helpful for running fast 5ks or other hi-turnover events. But still, in the VAST majority of cases, even at the FFOP AGers, that's not the limiter, it's the endurance component, and the trails are excellent for that.

Deena Kastor and other Olympian hopefuls did a lot of training on trails in their primes, and raced fine on the roads.

Like everything else, I think it's a matter of progression toward specificity. Trail running is great for building strength and stability, enabling you to run more without breaking down, not to mention enjoyment. But if you're training for a flat race on pavement, as you get closer to the race, you probably ought to get used to running on a harder surface and running on the flats where every stride is the same (rather than the variation of the trails).
Both trails and road have their own difficulties, just have the right mix of the two at the appropriate times of the year.

Lol yes trail running is very run. Do a trail ultra and see how run it is

I run mostly trail ultras now, but train almost entirely on roads.

Your heart rate on trails tends to be much lower and also very inconsistent mile to mile. Road marathoning is consistency there are no breaks or "easy" spots. The relentless pounding of the same muscle groups make it different than the too steep climbs and harrowing descents.

I love both and you can definitely train one and do the other, but at some point to have your best race you must train the medium you race.

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Swim - Bike - Run the rest is just clothing changes.

Not all "trails" have steep climbs and harrowing descents, most probably don't even have a climb to begin with. A "trail" could be a gravel path or the grass beside the cycling path. And for the record do you not want to have your best race then?

I am trying to do 50 states mostly on trail. I don't have the ability to run technical(or even easy) trails near my house.

Right now I am racing/running for "fun". My next goal race doesn't start until my BQ attempts beginning October of 2015.

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Swim - Bike - Run the rest is just clothing changes.

Oh cool how many states have you done so far?

33 over 9 years.

If I finish the 55K north of Dallas in December I will have 6 this year(NC, VA, SD, VT, NM, TX). Around $17K in travel and entry fees so far and I still have the expensive states to go(Hawaii and Alaska).

It is really cool running in states you might not otherwise visit and since most are on trail you see the best parts of states. The only thing that sucks is that national parks generally won't allow races so the best you do is national forests and state parks.

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Swim - Bike - Run the rest is just clothing changes.

Damn, that's a lot of cash. You're getting there though, have fun in Dallas!