What should I expect from a trail run?

[marchmom06]

I'm deciding between two different half marathons in August (mostly just because it's the only date that works for me). One is a typical road race half. The other is a trail run. . .

I've done one half marathon (road) & loved it. What should I expect from the trail run, if I opted for that? Significantly harder? Much slower finish time? I think it would be fun to try something different this time, but don't want to sign up for the trail run if I'm going to be unprepared.

Anything else I should think about?

[aurora]

It really depends on the trail, but generally times will be a little slower than on the road. However, trails tend to be a lot easier on your joints so you might recover more quickly. Also, training on more uneven surfaces like trails tends to reduce the risk of injury because you're firing more of the smaller balance-correcting muscles more often (to strengthen them) and also not getting exactly the same gate* for 100% of your strides. I personally prefer trail running to road running and think it's easier (even when I'm slower) because it's much more interesting.

Good luck whichever you choose!

*ETA: and by "gate" I mean "gait."

[RoryGilmore]

Are you able to train on a trial? I mostly run on the road but every so often I throw in a trail run to mix it up. I enjoy the trails quite a bit but I am definitely slower. Personally, I wouldn't sign up for a trail HM unless I could do some training on a trail first. I was considering a trail HM in the fall but have decided to do another road race and consider the trail race the following fall when I've worked on speed, mileage and trail runs more.

[marchmom06]

May 18, 2012 21:59:43 GMT -5 RoryGilmore said:

Are you able to train on a trial? I mostly run on the road but every so often I throw in a trail run to mix it up. I enjoy the trails quite a bit but I am definitely slower. Personally, I wouldn't sign up for a trail HM unless I could do some training on a trail first. I was considering a trail HM in the fall but have decided to do another road race and consider the trail race the following fall when I've worked on speed, mileage and trail runs more.

I do trail runs about 1/3 or 1/4 of my runs. However, the ones I do are typically flat & fairly well groomed. The ones (judging by the pictures on the half site) look to be a little more challenging. That said, the site did also say that you should expect fast "trail" times.

[katinthehat]

I think trail runs are a lot of fun, but if you could do at least one 6 to 10 miler on the trail the race is on, that would give you a lot more information to base your decision off of

[jenniferjanec]

Ditto on trying out the trail if you can - there can be a huge difference from trail to trail. I run a trail by my house and find my times and effort level to be very comparable to road running, but there's a trail I love near my workplace where I am adding 3-4 minutes to each mile because the terrain is so different - more hills, more rocks, more roots, more water, etc.