As you move along a trail through forest, desert, or parkland, you enter a different state of mind. You’re constantly interacting with the ground, vegetation, elevation change, and a variety of sounds and aromas. Mind-body activity is elevated to a higher level of awareness to be ready to react. You’re living in the moment and interacting with life around you as you move forward.
The journey: Our ancestors programmed us to move from one point to another along the trail. Forward movement is positive and fulfilling. Intuitively, as we move forward, we can solve problems and enjoy the satisfaction of exertion in nature. There is a feeling of empowerment in finishing any run, but the sensation has almost always been better at the end of a trail workout.
Sharing: There’s a special bonding that occurs when we run with one or more companions along a trail. We’re connecting with millions of years of evolution. The extra trust and cooperation felt toward a trail running companion often extends after the run. Some runners communicate and bond better on trails—even when nothing is said. Trail companions are connected the same way our ancient relatives pulled one another along to get through tough times.
Variety: Even if you run the same trail each day, you will feel different sensations on each run. When you choose a different trail every week, you will learn to look forward to the adventure and the discovery process. Each month you can add a few new trails to your favorites. As you get to know different trail connections, you can combine your favorite loops, or out-and-backs to add the distance or time you need on any given day.
The mission: Planning the trail runs usually requires scheduling the drive to and from, assigning time in a busy schedule, coordinating with running companions, and dividing responsibility for logistics. As we work together, anticipate and then experience the trail together, the trail run becomes more than an average run.
Enjoyable scenery: I’ve run thousands of trail runs. Each has delivered a memorable series of visual images, interesting and diverse sounds, mysteries, and puzzles. Surprising are the discoveries during runs on trails that at first seem boring or not stimulating. Within a few minutes you’ll see details of ground cover, vegetation, animal prints or signs, and sounds made by the wind or vegetation. You could write several pages about the details seen and felt along every segment of just about any trail.
Strengthens legs and feet: The legs and feet have to work a bit harder on trails to maintain balance, push off on different terrain, and shift usage of muscles. All of the adaptations for adjusting to various surfaces are embedded in us. As we run regularly on non-paved surfaces, we get better and better at adjusting pace and foot placement, inserting walk breaks, and moving around hazards. You find a different sense of balance on trails. Muscles and tendons intuitively strengthen and work together in special ways during different segments of each trail. You’ll notice small muscles not usually defined on road runners are much more defined on the legs of trail runners.
Part of nature: As you move through the trees, plants, hills, grass, and sand, you become part of nature, picking up bits of the forest, field, valley, or prairie. You’re literally grounded as you touch earth on each step. You feel the moisture (or lack of) and collect the dust, mist, snow, and frost on you.
Preparation for off-road races: A growing number of races offer off-road races or segments. As you train on trails that simulate your racecourse, you adapt the feet, legs, and balance for the exact demands of the race itself. Many who run trail events will schedule trips to train on the course in advance and reduce the surprises on race day. The best preparation for running on a trail is to train on that trail.
View scenery in a unique way: Due to the light, foliage, and recent precipitation, the scenery changes from one a trail run to any other. Many carry cameras or camera-phones and capture images that are revisited over and over (and often become screen savers), but most of the images are stored away in memory alone. Every week, during a run, a certain image, shadow, or cloud formation will bring flashes of my rich memories in the Sierra Mountains, through Arizona desert preserves, or a Florida longleaf-pine forest. Some were experienced last week but others decades ago—a wonderful and direct connection with our running past.
Brain invigoration: The brain instinctively revs up when you start running on a trail, turning on “circuits” for high awareness. Starting in ancient times, running directly on the earth required more resources throughout the mind-body network. The central nervous system is on high alert, reflexes are ready, and the energy circuit gears up to conserve and deliver as needed. Muscles are activated, performance hormones are released, and mechanical units flow into a smooth range of motion. I know of no other activity that activates our vitality and expectations than trail running.
The result is that I feel more alive and energized when running down a trail: body, mind, and spirit working together. But I’m not alone. Runners tell me every week that they come away from a trail run more energized and motivated than when running on other surfaces.