Signed up for my first and longest trail run ever at 25k. I do run trails occasionally in the off season for fun but usually it is the same trail near my house so I don’t really have a lot of data comparing my trail times vs my road times, and I usually only do about 5-6 miles on that trail anyways, and I feel like my familiarity with it combined with the difficulty of the trail doesn’t give me much insight. Anyone with more experience on the trail circuit want to share their experience with how a trail distance race has matched up to say your stand alone HM. I am about a 1:49 HM so I am looking to get a better idea about pacing and goal times.
That is really hard to answer. Trails vary so widely that anyone answering on the internet can only compare to the trails they run. It can vary in multiple minute per mile
That is really hard to answer. Trails vary so widely that anyone answering on the internet can only compare to the trails they run. It can vary in multiple minute per mile
I just started on trails earlier in the year and I was 30 seconds to 2 minutes per mile slower depending on the terrain/elevation. One other factor is my GPS watch isn’t nearly as accurate with lots of switchbacks and tree cover on the trails I run.
Just run baby.
Depending on the severity of the trail elevation, you’re looking at 2:30 easily.
But go enjoy it, and watch your footing. You don’t want to be rolling an ankle at the 5k mark.
Thanks all, and yea just a conservative guess on what to expect was more or less what I was interested. This is not about me winning the race, but I have a tendency to go out in 7:00s and come home in 9:30s so pacing is what I was concerned about not setting the trail on fire. FWIW here is an elevation map Honestly don’t do a lot with elevation maps to know if that seems gnarly or not. Just know its not gonna be a stroll around my neighborhood ha.
I use a combination of HR, Breathing and RPE. I know that HR lags, so on uphills I have to scale back a little before it goes out of my range. After a while you will get to know how hard you can push just by your breathing the your effort. Trying to go by time, even on the same course can be misleading since trail and weather conditions have such a huge impact on time.
Your course profile isn’t too terrible, as there are no really big or grueling climbs that go on for miles. If you go out a little too easy, your race has some nice downhill after the HM mark that you can try and burn off any of the legs you saved. Enjoy your race.
It’s a trail race. Get out of your head. Just run baby.
I’m in probably 1:35-ish half marathon shape right now, and I did a trail half a couple weeks ago and ran 1:54:xx, but I also did a trail half earlier in the year, when I was in better shape, and ran 2:12:xx. As others have said, it really depends on how technical the trail is and what the conditions are like. One thing for sure, it will be slower. Really, it’s about learning to run by RPE.
On a relatively flat single track, I’m about 90 seconds slower per minute on training runs in the 10 mile range. Enjoy the experience.
I agree with the others, it’s really hard to say. Sometimes I’m just 30 seconds per mile slower and sometimes I’m 2+ minutes per mile slower. Course profile plays a huge role. Elevation changes, sections of rock gardens, turns, wet weather are all factors that can slow you down. When running or racing on trails, I wear my watch but never really look at it (I just like having the gps data for later). Just use RPE and enjoy the ride while no feeling pressured to hit time or pace goals. That’s what makes running on trails a blast
This is where RPE comes in handy, pace is a crapshoot off road, your GPS might not even work properly in some areas.
A lot depends on how smooth and straight the trail is. Roots, rocks, and debris slow things down as you hop over and around things. You spend a lot of energy doing this. If the trail winds around trees and rocks etc, it will slow you down even more due to direction changes, and often these small changes in direction are not picked up accurately by a GPS, so a GPS will show even slower pace. If you’re using a GPS/HRM, get to know your heartrate ranges and limits. Normally I hate following HR zones etc. I prefer just running by pace or feel, but on the trails, it can be helpful to double check my HR.
Over a half marathon, I’m usually half an hour slower (around 2 minutes per mile slower). Reliably under 1:33 on the roads, usually around 2 hours on more technical trails.
There’s absolutely no point trying to pace your effort on an uneven trail route based on time per kilometer. Just use a combo of feel and HR. Even if you predicted your finish time accurately, that knowledge won’t help you with pacing since your speed will vary so dramatically depending on the terrain.
For relatively flat road races, run to a planned pace. For very hilly roads or trail routes, perceived effort and HR.
A lot depends on how smooth and straight the trail is. Roots, rocks, and debris slow things down as you hop over and around things. You spend a lot of energy doing this. If the trail winds around trees and rocks etc, it will slow you down even more due to direction changes, and often these small changes in direction are not picked up accurately by a GPS, so a GPS will show even slower pace. If you’re using a GPS/HRM, get to know your heartrate ranges and limits. Normally I hate following HR zones etc. I prefer just running by pace or feel, but on the trails, it can be helpful to double check my HR.
Over a half marathon, I’m usually half an hour slower (around 2 minutes per mile slower). Reliably under 1:33 on the roads, usually around 2 hours on more technical trails.
Quoted for truth.
My run on the weekend was on very rutted logging roads. There was a lot of hopping around to land on solid ground, and with fallen leaves everywhere you had to have your head in the game the whole time. It was an exhausting run, and I can’t wait to do it again on Saturday. It’s so much more interesting than running on the road.
I ran right around your HM time the last time I did one and I’ve since shifted to more trail runs. I’m finding my pace is around 2 mins slower per mile over the courses we have here and most of that has to do with footing - lots of rock and roots on descents which really limits how much you can let loose on downhills. Part of the reason why I switched to trail races is there isn’t as much of a focus on time and pace so just go out and run and enjoy. Your pace will vary based on the track you are on.