by Sean Meehan
Most of the folks who come on our trips are self-proclaimed road runners. Most people have their usual route, often straight out their front door, knocking it out early in the morning: boom, endorphins, Strava upload, done for the day. Trail running, however, represents something a bit different. What will the trail be like? Muddy or rocky? Will I have to drive to find the trailhead? How many hills will there be? How will I know where I am going? What shoes will I need? Do I need one of those funny little running packs that will just bounce around and annoy me? Safe to say, it’s easy to find reasons not to go trail running. However, the majority of Rogue Expeditions runs are off-road , and we've watched so many people ‘see the light’ during their trip and get into more trail running as a result. So, if you’re part of the ‘slightly hesitant trail runner’ camp, this is the blog post for you. I wanted to share a few thoughts and tips to make your run more interesting, achievable, and fun.
Let’s start with gear and preparation. I pretty much never run without a running pack. 95% of all my runs my pack is on my back. Like a wallet or a purse it has everything I need in it. I don’t unpack it when I get home. It gets slung in a heap with the other running gear until the next run! Here are the basic contents that ought to always be in your pack (of course this is highly subjective and these are my choices, but give it a go and we can argue later!) :
Soft flasks. These are great - on even a 5k I’ll take 500ml (16oz). That should be minimum water level for leaving the house. I find them more convenient than faffing around with a hydration bladder. They can be filled quickly from streams if you know your local water quality.
Snacks Always. Even on a short run. An emergency snack should always be there. A bag of nuts or a Snickers or a Gu even. Snacks in my bag tend to roll over until the next run and then one day you are bonking late in a run that went longer than planned and - praise Jesus - there is a mushed bag of peanuts and goji berries buried in a forgotten corner of my pack.
Phone. Pretty handy survival tool. Maps. Communication if you’re hurt/lost. An app on there for snake ID. Take pics for the Gram etc.
Gallon zip-lock with toilet paper. Do I have to explain why? Also keeps phone dry when it starts to rain. Which is always in Ireland.
I just never run without at least this stuff with me. Once you get a pack that you’re used to, you feel weird and naked without it. It is your toolbox for fixing problems. Both for yourself and other folks on the trail. My favourite pack currently is the Salomon Advanced Skin 5. Many other brands make great packs like Ultimate Direction, Inov8 etc. YouTube has a bunch of reviews for every conceivable pack (or any piece of gear you need) so do your research to find what works for you. You will also want to try it on before buying it. Make sure it fits nice and snug, that the pockets are accessible and easy to reach, and that it generally feels good to wear. Most manufacturers now make packs specifically for women, but double check this because they are often designed with the male frame in mind!
Additional items that I’ll take for a longer run, or a run somewhere new that I haven’t been before:
Rain Shell/running jacket. These things pack down so small there is no excuse for leaving it at home. Besides keeping you dry it could keep you warm at the end of a run also. I have the Salomon Bonatti. The Patagonia Storm Racer is a great one also. Don’t buy a cheapie. You’ll be wet and cold one day and regret it.
Spare Buff. So many uses. Around neck when cold. Around forehead when sweating profusely. Around hands when bushwhacking through thorns to find the trail etc.
Packet of saltstick tabs. These things last forever in the little foil packets. Most runs you don’t need ‘em. But have them tucked away in a pocket for that sweaty day when you cramp and bonk at 20km.
Basic medical kit. These weigh almost nothing. Stock it up then shove it down into the bottom of your pack and let it live there. Painkillers, anti-inflammatories, band aids, second skin, vaseline, insect bite cream, Nuun tablets. You can keep yourself on the trail and maybe help others if needed. Adventure Medical Kits have excellent small kits.
Water bladder. Most packs come with one. I only use mine on longer days out. 1.5 litres in the bladder plus the soft flasks is enough water for a good long adventure.
DeLorme/Garmin Satellite communicator. Ok this is over the top if your trail run is in your neighbourhood park but if you’re going solo in the mountains or the desert or generally away from all the humans, it could be handy to get a message for help when you break your leg and there is no cell coverage. SPOT make similar devices.
Whistle. Most packs have these built-in and unremovable. Hopefully you’ll never need to use but could be very handy that one time it all goes to crap and the search and rescue team is looking for you.
Foil blanket. Again most packs come with one tucked in a pocket as standard. Hopefully you’ll never need but one day you or a trail buddy might need it whilst waiting for mountain rescue to get to you.
More Snickers bars (because.)
You are prepared for a huge amount of adventure with this loaded pack on your bag. If you added a spare pair of socks, and extra layer, a bivvy bag and a Steripen you could go for days or as long as your food lasts. That is a grey area beyond trail running and before ‘fast packing’ that I haven’t found a satisfactory term for yet. But before you go disappearing into the wilderness for days at a time, a few other pointers.
Navigation. What’s the plan? There are many tools at your disposal. Local trail maps. Description from a friend who has run the trail. Info sign at trailheads (take pic on phone). Download the trail on a GPS app like Gaia, Trail Run Project or RunGo. Buy a good ordnance survey map and learn how to read it. Try Fatmap or Google Earth for exploring an area virtually so you understand the geography and landscape before heading out into it. For any new run I will usually have 2 or 3 methods to figure out how to go where I intend. Redundancy is important. When your map blows away or your phone dies you might want a back-up method for how to get home.
Shoes. Do you need a new pair of shoes to hit the trails? Well, maybe. A great way to understand why there are trail shoes and road shoes is to going running on some trails with your road shoes. Rocks and tree roots can poke through the sole of the shoe hurting your feet mile by mile. More than likely you will be slipping and sliding going up and down hills. Probably you will decide you need trail shoes, but there are trails and then there are trails. Some are nice, flat, powdery, trails 4 feet wide going through your local park. Road shoes will be fine. Other trails are 1 foot wide, made out of sharp rocks and mud, and have a life-ending fall to the side of them. Use your best judgement here. The general idea would be to get a pair of shoes with a rock-guard (stiff, robust layer built into the sole of shoe) and some decent traction that feel comfortable on your feet. There are many good trail shoes. Shoe companies are trying to sell you the new bells and whistles and new features. Don’t get hung up on this - get a basic pair that work and are robust. My all time favourite is the Inov8 212 x-talon. But your foot is different than mine, so find the pair that works for you!
Running. Ok, we are geared to the teeth like Rambo at this point. What about the actual running? One foot in front of the other, right? Same stuff as on the road, right? Well, maybe not. First off, prepare to go slower. Your comfortable 9 minute mile can easily turn into a 20 minute mile if your trail goes up the side of a mountain. One of the sneaky little secrets of trail running (and perhaps mountain running more specifically) is that there is quite a bit of hiking involved. Unless you are Kilian Jornet or some other such pair of oversized quads, you are probably going to walk a bit. Embrace it. Forget about what Strava will say about it. Soak in the views. Breathe in the forest, or mountain, or lake, or wherever you are. Over time your footwork will get better on the technical bits, your hill climbing will get stronger and you’ll run more of it, and your downhills will get more Ibex goat and less newborn calf. Until then, you’ll stub your toe on rocks a few times, and tree roots will reach out and trip you up. Call it learning!
The freedom of trail running is the places it can take you. Sure, there are beautiful roads to run in the world. But all the really good stuff is somewhere at the end of an epic trail. Don’t get too hung up on how fast you go - just get out there and do it. I guarantee you will start to love it. At some point you’ll access the glorious feeling that we will call ‘trail flow’. Pure bliss, cruising along on a quiet trail somewhere deep in nature, legs feeling strong underneath you, fully in tune with your surroundings. Something deep and primal awakens in those moments. Get out there and find it and trust me, the road will never be the same again.