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First time on a trail; quick advice please? (Read 817 times)

    Okay, I am trying to psych myself up to hit a trail for the first time. I am dressed and nervous to the point of wanting to puke. The trail is one big long several mile incline. I am a little skurred. Okay, I lied... I am a lot of skurred! I "tried" to hike it once a couple months ago with my hiking boots and my Achilles hated me for days! I don't want to get hurt and could use some advice. First, I don't have trail shoes. I do have one pair of runners with thick cushioning and one with much thinner cushioning. Which is better when you are talking about running on a trail with a steep incline? Second, any advice on how to actually run uphill? I would zigzag it but there is a cliff so I'm not sure how much room there is to zig and zag without going "aaaaahhhhhhh" Dead
    You may find my running Vlog at Run Cast TV and my running log here
      Did you lose a bet? If you don't want to run it then don't do it. If you do want to run it then just take it easy. My guess is that if you could barely walk up it then your body might have other designs when you try to run it. My advice on running uphill is to lift your knees, land on your toes, and watch where you're going. I'd forget about zigzagging.
      2008 Goals Don't attack the guy that passes me like I'm standing still when I think I'm running fast...I can't catch him anyway and I'd just look silly


      Right on Hereford...

        Just get out there and do it! Don't force yourself to run the whole thing. Some hills are just too steep to run. "Power hiking" is still a great workout. When I first started running, I was amazed that people could run up the hills around here (Boulder, CO). I would just power hike them, and run the flats and downhills. Now, I find that I can run most of them. It just takes practice and time...
          Oh, I want to run this trail really badly and have since I realized it started right by my house. My goal is to be able to run the whole thing someday. I'm just chicken and know it's gonna hurt. I'm in much better shape then the one time I did try to run it or when I attempted that hike. I also know my hiking boots were part of the problem as they were too stiff for the incline. but I don't know, I keep seeing these trail runners and ultrarunners just flying up that trail! They look so effortless and I'll never get that way unless I try. I still haven't left though and keep going back and forth trying to decide which shoes will hurt the least. I think I'm going to try to do it almost like that C25K program and do intervals of running versus hiking. I never thought about landing on my toes though and it makes total sense when I think about it. Thanks both of you. Okay, time to sic myself up! I said it on the forum so I can't chicken out lol
          You may find my running Vlog at Run Cast TV and my running log here
            I just moved from flat as can be Florida to north central California where there are great trails. There are also actual hills so I can relate to your issue. Lift your knees and pump your arms. Just run straight up it. No need to zig zag. Don't look down when you run. That is, keep your head up and eyes down so as not to trip. Don't be afraid to cut your runs shorter and take a few efforts to get up the hills at first. Be careful on the downhills too! If the trail is a smooth dirt trail you don't even need trail shoes. If it is very rocky, uneven or full of roots and single track maybe think about buying some so you don't twist an ankle. I've found that it is taking time for my hip flexors and achilles to catch up. They were sore the first week and I didn't even run all that much. If you can find some flatter trails to mix it up, I think its better for your bod. If I can do it, you can do it. Big grin
              We are probably neighbors Wink The views from these trails just make me so excited to be able to run them. My normal run has a couple small rolling streets but I would love to be able to run the trails once a week. That said, ALL the trails close by on ridges, hills and mountains (there is one that is flat but the coyotes scare me)! But man, I can't wait till I can be a strong enough runner to get to the top and just look out over that view *sigh* Welcome to N. California.
              You may find my running Vlog at Run Cast TV and my running log here
                Don't be afraid to take walk breaks on the hill. You may be able to get to the top with a few short breaks. Just take it slow and don't look at the top (it will depress you too much. Tongue )


                #2867

                  Don't bother running the hills if they are too steep. Just walk them. The hills on trails aren't limited by what a car can traverse. I tend to go minimalist for my trail shoes. I spent the first 3 months or so of my serious trail running in road shoes and was fine, but if you start doing it regularly then you'll want to get some trail runners. I'm a big fan of Inov-8, although I have a pair of North Face shoes and I wear vibrams a couple times a week. Here are some articles that I wrote about running on trails that you'll find helpful: http://news.runtowin.com/2007/08/22/trail-running-101-at-peak-performance.html http://news.runtowin.com/2007/10/01/trail-running-deserves-more-attention-from-road-runners.html They have some good, practical advice for running on trails for people used to roads.

                  Run to Win
                  25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)

                  redleaf


                    Hope it went well! Congrats on your attempt! Big grin

                    First or last...it's the same finish line

                    HF #4362

                      Okay, here is my report. First the trail... it's not a little hill. The trail goes up a ridge for miles before finally going over the ridge and down into the next town. I think it gains about 1000 feet of elevation in a mile and a half from what I can tell and ends at about 1880 feet. Yet, I know it's runable because I've seen three people doing it but in no way do I expect to see the top for at least a year. I ran for about 1-3 minutes before standing and gasping for breath and starting all over again. It felt very much like a HIIT workout and my heart was pumping like crazy. That said, I felt like after a few tries the intervals would disappear even if the distance took longer. I felt strong. I actually got farther up then when I hiked it. And only walked maybe a minute total in favor of stopping and gasping. I have no idea how far I got but no more than a couple miles in. i spent 28 minutes going up before starting down. I won't say I ran it down. It was more like a barely controlled 9 minute fall. OMG! downhill was ten times worse than up and I didn't stop on the way down. VERY hard, my knees will hate me in the morning. I did notice my stride was more open and I was faster as the trail ended on the flat street. I think I will keep this as a weekly run and see how long it takes me to be able to run the whole thing. That said, I almost slipped three times going up and I lost count coming down. A couple times I landed so hard coming down I thought my leg would bust in two and i seriously considered rolling down. I need to get the hang of this down hill running thing.
                      You may find my running Vlog at Run Cast TV and my running log here
                        Don't bother running the hills if they are too steep. Just walk them. The hills on trails aren't limited by what a car can traverse. I tend to go minimalist for my trail shoes. I spent the first 3 months or so of my serious trail running in road shoes and was fine, but if you start doing it regularly then you'll want to get some trail runners. I'm a big fan of Inov-8, although I have a pair of North Face shoes and I wear vibrams a couple times a week. Here are some articles that I wrote about running on trails that you'll find helpful: http://news.runtowin.com/2007/08/22/trail-running-101-at-peak-performance.html http://news.runtowin.com/2007/10/01/trail-running-deserves-more-attention-from-road-runners.html They have some good, practical advice for running on trails for people used to roads.
                        Thank You for those great links!
                        You may find my running Vlog at Run Cast TV and my running log here
                          i spent 28 minutes going up before starting down. I won't say I ran it down. It was more like a barely controlled 9 minute fall. OMG! downhill was ten times worse than up and I didn't stop on the way down. VERY hard, my knees will hate me in the morning. I did notice my stride was more open and I was faster as the trail ended on the flat street. I think I will keep this as a weekly run and see how long it takes me to be able to run the whole thing. That said, I almost slipped three times going up and I lost count coming down. A couple times I landed so hard coming down I thought my leg would bust in two and i seriously considered rolling down. I need to get the hang of this down hill running thing.
                          Dude...it sounds like you're over-striding and almost completely out-of-control on your descent. That's a situation that will lead to injury 100% of the time. Knees, ankles, hamstrings, hips...you're putting everything at risk in a steep, uncontrolled downhill run. I would take whatever pace you ran up the hill and come down the hill at an even slower pace. You might even consider jogging/walking down the hill backwards in places if the footing is good. Next time you go...slow down! Don't let your heart beat out of your chest (you're just ruining the rest of your week) on the way up and don't let your body get out-of-control on the way down.
                          2008 Goals Don't attack the guy that passes me like I'm standing still when I think I'm running fast...I can't catch him anyway and I'd just look silly


                          Right on Hereford...

                            I would take whatever pace you ran up the hill and come down the hill at an even slower pace. You might even consider jogging/walking down the hill backwards in places if the footing is good.
                            Naw, I'd say that's way too much overkill. Wink Just make sure you are controlled on your way down. One thing that really helps is to be light and fast on your feet. It's a little hard to describe, but here's what I mean. Running downhill on a rocky trail is really like jumping off of a series of ledges. If you were to jump off of a 3-foot ledge, would you land on one foot, or both? Both feet, of course! You need to distribute the impact force between each leg. That way, neither one takes the full brunt of the landing. Downhill trail running is the same thing, but since you're moving forward, you don't want to land on both feet at the same time. Otherwise, you'd be slow and awkward. Instead, the first foot should land "softly," like a little dance step, with the second foot landing very quickly after the first. Your cadence will have a very different rhythm than it does on flat ground. On flat ground, it's very regular: L...R...L...R...L...R (note that each '.' represents some fraction of a second) Running downhill on a trail, your cadence is completely dependent on the terrain, and thus will be irregular. It might be like this: L.R...L.R....L.R.L...R.L Notice that there are no "lonely" footfalls in the downhill trail sequence above (lonely being defined as a footfall that has more than one '.' space between it and another footfall). Each footfall has one or more "partners" to help distribute the impact force. What does this look like? It looks like fancy footwork. It also happens to be really fun once you're comfortable with it, too! I have no idea if I've done a good job describing this. It would be much easier just to show you on a real trail, but unfortunately I'm not in your neighborhood. Anyway, I hope this helps! Running steep trails will make your legs very strong.
                              Naw, I'd say that's way too much overkill. Wink
                              It might be overkill but I see horrible pain and suffering in the OP's future so I'm thinking baby steps. I don't know if there's a term for this but I'm thinking something along the lines of a technical fartlek. Maybe decide that she's going to go from here to that tree down there being very precise and then take a break for a bit. I completely wrecked a knee last year on a 7,000 foot run/hike descent last summer when I came down it too fast.
                              2008 Goals Don't attack the guy that passes me like I'm standing still when I think I'm running fast...I can't catch him anyway and I'd just look silly
                                Naw, I'd say that's way too much overkill. Wink Just make sure you are controlled on your way down. One thing that really helps is to be light and fast on your feet. It's a little hard to describe, but here's what I mean. Running downhill on a rocky trail is really like jumping off of a series of ledges. If you were to jump off of a 3-foot ledge, would you land on one foot, or both? Both feet, of course! You need to distribute the impact force between each leg. That way, neither one takes the full brunt of the landing. Downhill trail running is the same thing, but since you're moving forward, you don't want to land on both feet at the same time. Otherwise, you'd be slow and awkward. Instead, the first foot should land "softly," like a little dance step, with the second foot landing very quickly after the first. Your cadence will have a very different rhythm than it does on flat ground. On flat ground, it's very regular: L...R...L...R...L...R (note that each '.' represents some fraction of a second) Running downhill on a trail, your cadence is completely dependent on the terrain, and thus will be irregular. It might be like this: L.R...L.R....L.R.L...R.L Notice that there are no "lonely" footfalls in the downhill trail sequence above (lonely being defined as a footfall that has more than one '.' space between it and another footfall). Each footfall has one or more "partners" to help distribute the impact force. What does this look like? It looks like fancy footwork. It also happens to be really fun once you're comfortable with it, too! I have no idea if I've done a good job describing this. It would be much easier just to show you on a real trail, but unfortunately I'm not in your neighborhood. Anyway, I hope this helps! Running steep trails will make your legs very strong.
                                Thank you, that made total sense. Coming down was hard. I was trying to take small steps but it was really hard to reduce the cadence without leaning back. I hope it doesn't take too long to learn.
                                You may find my running Vlog at Run Cast TV and my running log here
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