Trail running: more than a run, an adventure...
Take running, add trails, hills, an exceptional natural setting, the scent of woodland, alpine panoramas, Réunion’s volcanoes, and a few elevation gains (in fact, quite a lot of elevation gains…), mix it all together and you get what millions of runners have discovered and embraced: Trail running!
Trail running is an adventure.
Compared with asphalt, Trail running allows runners to connect with nature. Forget those headphones that cut you off from the world—the melody is all around you, calling to you. The setting is ideal... let’s go! Escape.
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Trail running is above all a state of mind. A desire for freedom and travel. But beyond this poetic, almost philosophical approach to running, trail running remains an extreme sport. The technical and physical demands of this discipline are far greater than those of traditional road running.
Trail running offers a wide variety of surfaces: gravel, grass, dirt, sand, mud and even snow! The terrain is often uneven and dotted with obstacles that may or may not be possible to avoid. You will cross roots, rocks, tree trunks and streams. You may think that trails have all the makings of a true obstacle course. You would be wrong. Trail running is much worse! Indeed, what really characterizes trail running, beyond its rough terrain, is the elevation gain. 1,000 meters, 2,000 meters, 5,000… and up to 10,000 meters for some ultra-trails!
Fortunately, you can choose among the most common distances the one that suits you best. There is the “nature trail” of less than 20 km, the “real” trail from 20 to 80 km and, of course, the ultra-trail, beyond 80 km.
Your First Trail Race
Of course, you will need to prepare and train a lot. For a long time. Even if you are an experienced runner, remember that trail running is a highly demanding form of interval running for your muscles and necessarily irregular for your heart rate.
The elevation gains will put your body under severe strain. But you will need to stay focused to avoid falling into the traps set by these rugged courses. Watch where you step!
What you need to work on in training: Go uphill, downhill and uphill again. Get used to it. Also learn, and above all, to walk. This will help you absorb the impact of changes in pace, regulate your breathing and set off again with renewed energy.
For your first trail race, set yourself an ambitious but realistic goal, clearly below the distances you usually manage on asphalt. Don’t think about your time; adopt the modest mindset of a focused finisher who maintains a good stride, manages their breathing well and adapts perfectly to the terrain. Don’t start too fast—you don’t tackle a 2- or 3-km climb at the same pace as a lap of a track or a jog around the neighborhood. Someone who attacks hard on a climb is either a beginner who will be walking, out of breath, a few hundred meters later, or an experienced runner aiming for overall victory. And you want (or are able) to be neither.
Try to familiarize yourself with the course in advance and visualize it so you can manage your effort between “attack” sections and “recovery” sections. During the race, help one another through difficult obstacles. Another source of trail running’s appeal is its human and supportive spirit. Truly community-minded.
As for equipment, a few specific items are recommended. Trail shoes with better grip and greater reinforcement. That said, for your first race, your road shoes will do the job, but you will quickly understand that traction is completely different from what you experience on the road.
Above all, remember to refuel. Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink; take a few sips every 20 minutes of your favorite drink and eat an energy bar every 7 km and, if necessary, an energy gel every 5 km (preferably toward the end of the course): these guidelines naturally depend on the terrain, because in trail running, times and distances are relative....
Finally, our most important advice is to enjoy yourself. Trail running will take you to discover landscapes unknown to you in your region, your country and around the world. Above all, you will set out to discover yourself.
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The weaker the body, the more it commands.
The stronger it is, the more it obeys.
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