Seems I get that awkward soreness from trail running even though I enjoy it a little more as it makes me feel closer to nature (and all that type of sh*t).
When I run Road side it SEEMS injuries are less frequent. Is this BS or do you guys have similar experiences?
Running downhill beats me up
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Trail running is a hella more technical than road running… rocks to avoid, roots to step over a lil bit of sliding, ankle twisting, quick elevation changes, snakes to jump over! I’ve seen it all in my trail running days and I surely don’t miss any of it!
I currently run in Tampa bay so a nice view of the beach is al1ays available however soon ill be moving to San Antonio and obviously the ocean view will be gone!
While I enjoy the environment, I unfortunately get more acute tweaks from trails (single track).
I used to road run quite a bit 8-10 years ago, I then switched to cycling exclusively since then. I recently started doing some short runs - I started doing a couple on the road in the 5 to 8km range and my legs were quite fatigued even at an easy pace. I’ve recently done a couple of technical trail runs and was able to comfortable do a 20km, 2 hour run without too much trouble and very little soreness. There is no way a could have done that on the road.
So for me, I think trail running is much better in terms of injury - assuming I don’t trip and smash myself into rocks!
Trail. All my unexpected tweaks that caused injuries which took months to heal were on uneven trails. Road beats us up long term but hardly ever causes immediate injury. Well maintained dirt or sand paths are best. Like unpaved rails to trails for example. Those are becoming extinct here. They are all getting paved because it is easier to maintain paved trails.
Trail running has less impact, so I don’t see the overuse injuries or stress fractures. Road running is smoother, so I wont roll an ankle on a rock or root, stub a toe, fall & bang up a knee etc.
So, basically I see more frequent short term injuries trial running but more longer term injuries on roads. If I had to give you a straight up answer, I see less injuries on trails because most of the injuries I can keep running or recover quickly.
Best idea is to do a mix of both.
Trail.
I did a race called “Taiwan Beast Runners 50km” Should have known better.
I injured my SHOULDER from all the near vertical climbs…injury took 6 months to fully hear. My legs were totally fine though. 
Trail running has less impact, so I don’t see the overuse injuries or stress fractures. Road running is smoother, so I wont roll an ankle on a rock or root, stub a toe, fall & bang up a knee etc.
So, basically I see more frequent short term injuries trial running but more longer term injuries on roads. If I had to give you a straight up answer, I see less injuries on trails because most of the injuries I can keep running or recover quickly.
Best idea is to do a mix of both.
Believe it or not, hard packed earth trails are every bit as hard as pavement.
The whole notion that ‘dirt is soft’ is a total fallacy. If you doubt me, try running them in minimalist/barefoot styled shoes, and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. Packed dirt feels no softer than pavement - and with minimalist shoes, they’re trickier to run in since you have to avoid a LOT more pebbles!
After all, you can drive a freaking loaded Ford F150 over these packed earth trails and they will not be sinking even an inch into the earth.
So if you’re running on packed earth on trails (like a fire-road) thinking it’ll be softer, think again.
Trail, definitely. ThatÂ’s where trips have led to real issues; adequate road volume keeps the injury bug away there.
Ha! I’m injured now and was advised not to run. Told my spouse that I was going for a trail run on Sunday. She said ‘isn’t that the worst thing you can do with all the rocks and roots?’. And my thinking was - softer and more dynamic than road running is good for rehab… Ran just 3 mi Sunday and was fine this morning. Physiotherapy this morning was way more painful than running and now, 12 hours later, much more problematic than my 3 mile trail run…
It seems to balance out for me, in somewhat predictable ways.
the road beats me up in a kind of slow burn, but i’ve only fallen on the road a few times. (sidewalks with poor paving, etc). i’ll fall a few times a year on trails. usually just flesh wounds but not always. trails can be hard or soft, depending on if they’re dried out or muddy, but falls can be rough.
only hospital trip was from trail running (popped my shoulder out when i landed hard).
i do think they complement each other in their benefits - more focus on balancing, proprioception, etc., on trails.
About even. More standard overuse injuries from road. More acute injuries from the trail (things caused by turned ankles, extended joints, etc).
For me, road. But I think that may be because the trails I typically run on are pretty flat and predictable, whereas the roads I typically run on involve a lot of kerbs, dodging around parked cars, bus stops and pedestrians, angled surfaces where one foot is landing higher than the other, etc.
If my road runs involved nice smooth, flat tarmac with no obstructions, and my trail runs were twisty and steep with lots of roots and rocks to turn an ankle, then I suspect it would be the other way around.
Recently moved to Dubai where there is a dedicated running track for ~8km along the beach front with a rubber-type surface (firm, with a bit of spring/give in it) and have to say that’s the best of all, been building up the miles with far fewer aches and pains than I normally get. Worry now is how long until I get bored of always doing the same route (always a challenge I have with both running and swimming compared to the exploration possibilities of cycling)!
…More standard overuse injuries from road. More acute injuries from the trail (things caused by turned ankles, extended joints, etc).
Agreed.
I typically feel better after trail runs. My posture is better because it has to be. But stubbed toes, turned ankles, etc are far more likely. Anything that takes a beating on the road, tends to get the same abuse, again and again and again. Variety is good.
ditto. My trail time peaked last year. I was training a lot on the trails and fell maybe 1 every week or two. Not usually a problem. Then one Friday before work I was running down a hill, tripped and just found myself looking up a the sky. I lost a weekend to an ankle sprain that hurt like a mother and kept me in bed. Then there were a few other scrapes and bruises from falling every so often and I’m not counting the muscle soreness that was a constant companion. That said, road running seems to lead to more overuse problems like plantar fasciitis.
They’re both running, but feel very different. Trails are slow , I don’t get that rhythm that keeps me going on the road. Interestingly I feel the same way about MTB vs road cycling. MTB is intermittent, while cycling is a continuous workout.
Trails around here are mostly flat with little to get in the way, so trail running is MUCH easier on my legs than road running is. I do 95% of my running on trails to prevent injuries.
About even. More standard overuse injuries from road. More acute injuries from the trail (things caused by turned ankles, extended joints, etc).
My thoughts exactly. I prefer trail running but little tweaks are relatively common but not serious. When I was training for marathon I did a lot of road miles and I got chronic injuries PF hip problems and a stress fracture in my foot.
I feel like I get better training from trails but still need some road running if I want to maintain some pace
My experience says trail, and the most recent data point is a trail run I did about a month ago with my friend Curt. We were descending a steep ridge and as the grade eased up near the bottom we picked up the pace. I caught my toe on something… My legs were tired and my reaction time was bad, so I ended up doing an epic sprawling dive headfirst down the trail. I’ve never done that on the road! Then again the biggest injury was my pride and that gets injured most times I run with Curt, trail or not.